One of my favorite activities is volunteering. I love to help my community whenever possible, and going to the Fort Worth Nature Center was a great experience. Mixing my love for volunteering and nature work made me smile. Our first week of shredding the invasive species, Privet, was super rewarding.
All the Park rangers were friendly and gave directions thoroughly, which made the entire experience swift. Driving to the area on an ATV was memorable for me because that was a new experience for me. I know we only drove for five minutes, but feeling the strong breeze on my face makes me understand why people love going on ATVs for fun and driving in dirty mud. Once we arrived, we all got gloves, protective glasses, and earplugs since the woodchipper is extremely loud.
The work began, and we all rushed to get Privet in the shapes of twigs, branches, and logs. Some people were more suited for going out and picking up the plant and then passing the material onto someone who would then carry the material to the woodchipper. As we started to lightly form an assembly line of tasked jobs, we agreed to designate jobs and run a proper assembly line for week two.
As I picked up Privet, I realized how invasive this species was. Not only is it the first sight of vegetation you see when arriving at the site, but it's massive and green. Spirals that stretch for what feels like yards, all tangled and dense like barbed wire. Thorns prick every piece of clothing and snag on the gloves. A nightmare. I thought about all the animals that could be injured due to the thorns and all the lost plant life since privit overcroweds an area and suffocates all vegetation. The animals cannot find food on the ground because Privet blocks nutrient access. Privet has ruined the spaces with its neverending spirals. Still, it could do even more damage, like disrupting biodiversity, if not managed. When struggling to pick up some of the damage, you can see why Privet is a problem in this area…
Therefore, Privet's demise is my gain as I tried to haul as much Privet and branches as I could to stuff and shove all the debris down into tiny wood pellets that amount to nothing. This action was oddly satisfying and stress relieving. I listened to the Park ranger's remarks about not getting enough help to tame this beast of a plant. I hope we can make a significant difference during this next month of volunteering. I felt unexpectedly relaxed and calm when removing Privet. With everyone having earplugs, we had a unique peace of mind while partaking in something important to the refugee.
While I was working, I did spot other signs of life. Living trees stretched feet into the air, providing a mass of sun protection. The tall trees almost give you a sense that we are in a jungle far from home. I noticed many bees that scared me, but I knew I was in long sleeves, jeans, and a hat, so they couldn't harm me. To my surprise, I spotted a lizard as he was almost invisible as he blended in the street pavement. As I reached for my phone in my back pocket to take a photo, a peer, obviously not paying attention, kicked the lizard away. I spent the final thirty minutes of class searching the road for this creature. I never got my picture.
When looking back at my first week of volunteering, I was exposed to new ideas about nature with the pleasure of being present in nature. I was shocked as I read the mapped pamphlet of the Nature Refuge and was stunned to see how vast the land is. 3,600 acres of pure nature in Fort Worth is shocking. Although with the size, I was astonished to hear the variety of species living here. Alligators, bison, deer, and so many more all cohabit with one another.
I hope that by the end of our volunteering journey, we can leave satisfied knowing we helped preserve a community and maintain the biodiversity that resides within the community.
Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge Map
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