Another day to make a difference. I woke up to the sunrise against the bay. The view was picturesque; I blinked my eyes to an orange-yellow sky with the sun rising like a drop of pure yellow. The bay was sparkling with the sun rays and birds were chirping to welcome the morning.
Today we drove to a farm in Cambridge, Md., an hour and a half away from the camp site. As I sat in the back of the van listening to the radio, the scenery changed from stores and buildings to patches of farm and cattle grazing. The plants grown at the farm were meant to provide a buffer to the habitat and waterways.
We first did a quality check on the plants; we checked that the tree shelters were secure with the stick and that they were growing straight up.
After lunch, we added to the forest restoration effort by planting more trees with the tree shelters. The tree shelter was a plastic tube zip-tied to a stick that goes around the tree. The stick prevents rodents and burrowers from damaging the roots and the plastic tube prevents deer from brushing up against the trees.
We also found the bones of a deer and, possibly, a fox. David Tana, our community partner, kept the fox’s skull as a souvenir. Our guides Dan Murphy and Brian Jennings from USFWS were more than happy to drive us around the farm and answer our questions.
I remember riding in the back of Brian’s truck with my legs hanging off the edge. The ground was running away under me. It was fascinating to realize we helped put together a forest. In a few years, the trees we planted will become forest. Amazing, right?
At reflection that night, we discussed our definitions of helping, fixing, and serving as the campfire flickered around us. We also shared our favorite moment from the day, and I would have to say that the satisfaction I got from knowing we put together trees that had been cut down was my best moment.
No comments:
Post a Comment