Week 2 at the Fort Worth Nature Center

-

     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? Either way, I am grateful that there are people who are content to continue to return and restore nature to its ideal state, time after time.

    About 30 minutes into our work, the wood chipper seemed to sputter out for good and we got to try our hand at clipping and sawing branches by hand. This was definitely more difficult and seemingly hazardous, as we tried to determine what was worth cutting and what wasn't. I wish we would have received a bit more guidance on what to do from the rangers, but we seemed to make do by helping each other and my ears appreciated the break from the wood chipper. By the end of our time, we seemed to have accumulated a nice few piles to chip next week. 

    On our way out of the park, we experienced a dangerous instance of running into a tree, scratching and hitting some of the members of our transport. Although scary in the moment, it seems as though everyone survived with minor scratches and we all could laugh about it in hindsight. I'm looking forward to seeing our progress next week, and hopefully cooler temperatures. \





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mary Oliver #5- "I Happened To Be Standing"

-
Image
      I really enjoyed reading this Mary Oliver poem. I came across it just by happen stance, as I flipped through the pages and founding myself stopping to read slowly in a section focused on mornings. Morning is definitely my favorite time of day, although I am privy to sleeping in occasionally. But most often, I enjoy waking up before or with the sun to enjoy the slowness and the stillness. The world sometimes feels groggy as I sip coffee on my porch and watch the sun rise, or as I lug my Bible into my lap for a moment of quiet and solitude. I find that I am most attentive to nature in the early day, perhaps because the distractions of the day, the noise, the hustle, and the bustle, have not yet awoken. While they sleep, I can breathe. I hear the birds singing a little louder, I notice the wind rushing through the trees with a bit more purpose. On a hot summer day, the mornings of slightly cooler weather feel like a gift for only those willing to arise and feel it. In ...
Read more

The Journals of Lewis and Clark- Journal #1

-
      This week for class, we were tasked with our first readings in Norton's Book of Nature Writing, starting with entries from the journals of Lewis and Clark, and excerpts from Luther Standing Bear's books. Although the Lewis and Clark entries were a bit difficult to read, due to the lack of punctuation and broken English, it was remarkable to hear how the two men viewed the United States as they explored the country for the first time.  There is a novelty and wonder to the sights they are encountering, particularly in the description of the waterfall in the latter journal entries. I was struck by the inner turmoil the writer feels in struggling to put words to the beauty he sees, and his frustration with his words not matching the splendor of the waterfall. The writer says "I could not perhaps succeed better than penning the first impressions of the mind", reminding the reader that our rawest emotions and words are often the best descriptor of the beauty we see (...
Read more

Havasu

-
Image
     In this week's class, we discussed Havasu, a chronology of Abbey's journeys through a deep part of the Grand Canyon, complete with turquoise waters, picturesque views, and intense solitude. Upon my first reading, I laughed at the simplicity with which Abbey described big decisions and big ideas; for example, " So I went down into Havasu—fourteen miles by trail—and looked things over. When I returned five weeks later I discovered that the others had gone on to Los Angeles without me" (72). Abbey seems to view life with a simplicity, without care for time and space. The time seems to have placed in the blink of an eye, or rather within one sentence. His time in the canyon, however, was anything but brief and uneventful. The first portion of the passage that stuck out to me was the following:  "I’m not sure that I care for the idea of strangers examining my daily habits and folkways, studying my language, inspecting my costume, questioning me about my religion,...
Read more