Fort Worth Nature Center – November 13, 2019
As my classmates and I drove from TCU’s campus to the Fort
Worth Nature Center, we chatted about our experiences volunteering there. From
the first days, learning that we would be working alongside the river, to now, excited
to get on the water and canoe. I learned a lot about river side maintenance and
the steps the workers there were taking in order to combat erosion. There were
no formal lessons, just comments and instructions from our guides that prompted
questions.
As we continued to work, week after week, we had a better
idea of what to expect of our time: rolling out the mats, cutting down small
trees, and nailing in staples to keep the mats in place. I felt more efficient
and more helpful as I worked in a variety of roles. As we worked, I enjoyed
spending time outside and getting away from campus for a few hours. Since I
live and work on campus, I hardly have an excuse or the time to get away. In
early November, the leaves started to change colors and the drive into the
nature center and where we were working became more and more beautiful.
Finally, on our last week, we got out on the water and
canoed. We loaded into the boats, armed with trash bags and grabbers to help us
get litter from the banks of the river. When we floated by the erosion mats, it
was satisfying to see our work from a different perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment