LGP- Texts & Treks 2023

      After five long weeks of chopping, lopping, and wood chipping away, we have officially completed our time at the Fort Worth Nature Center. Although I was unsure what to expect upon our arrival, it has been a rewarding experience to cut back the privet that threatens the natural species who make their home on the land. Of course, in classic fashion, our final visit could not be anything less than dramatic and harrowing. Rain pelted our car as we made the long trek out to the center, and I was thankful that I had remembered to pack my rain coat and a hat. With no chipper, we turned to our trusty shears to cut down invasive  bamboo. I was a bit nervous to do this type of work, as I had mostly focused on wood chipping while others had done the chopping. However, I found the work relatively simple and a test of strength. It was fun to create the big piles, and although not as satisfying as chipping, it was immediately evident how much space the bamboo was taking up....

 I found myself home for fall break with no one around, and the world waiting to be explored. Growing up in Little Rock, the fall was my most favorite time of year. In addition to high school football, my birthday, soccer season, and pumpkin carving, I always looked forward to seeing the brilliance of the leaves changing from electric green to various shares of orange, yellow, and red. Moving to Texas, where things seem to just turn brown, I found myself with a newfound appreciation for the fall leaves of Arkansas. On this weekend, with my parents at work and no one that I knew in town, I found myself headed down to Two Rivers Park for a beautiful morning walk as apart of my marathon training. Walking for three hours by yourself doesn't sound very fun, but I was anxious to see my favorite trails and how they had changed with the weather.  For the first hour, I attempted to venture out without headphones and just listen to nature, whether it was the sound of the river flowing b...

      We set out today with vigor in our hearts and determination in our minds to continue our work of clearing the brush along the side of the road that we started at last week. Upon arrival, it felt as if we were in familiar territory, although our familiarity would not last long. We started to gather large pieces of brush along the side of the road, but struggled to get the wood chipper started. After several attempts, it seemed to be up and running and we got on our way. I chose to forgo the line of people assembling and join Bennett deeper in the woods as we assembled piles for people to bring to the wood chipper. I found myself thinking about how pretty soon, this area would likely be filled back up with invasive species, and someone else would have to do the same thing all over again, and I wondered if it was all worth it. Sometimes I wonder what the world would look like if we just left things completely as they are, invasive or not: would it be controlled chaos? ...

      What a full and HARD first day we had volunteering with out class at the Fort Worth Nature Center! I was not sure what to expect, but man did we work hard. Upon arrival, we received instructions from our team (most importantly how to stay safe around the wood chipper), then made our way out to the road in the back of the truck. At this point, I couldn't imagine that our work would be too difficult. I figured we would have a few small sticks to tend to and would likely finish up pretty quickly. Boy was I wrong! I found myself lugging trees, logs, and branches for over an hour. While difficult, sweaty, and exhausting, it was rewarding to see progress be made piece by piece, and recognize that we had contributed to beautifying the area in some way. About halfway through, Bennett began to employ a strategy of pulling large pieces and placing them alongside the road for people to put into the chipper in order to avoid the bottle neck at the line. I thought this was a rea...