Saturday in the Park

 Saturday, April 15th was a very busy day in the park! When I arrived at around nine, I was intrigued to see young people filtering in to the meetup point by the tank, apparently outfitted for some manual labor. When I approached them, I was simultaneously shocked, excited, and pleased to learn that Dr. Shannon Gregory of Augusta University offered her students an extra credit opportunity to help cleanup the park.

She had an awesome turnout and set the students loose on trash pickup and an aggressive ivy tirade. I'm so happy to see that the project is making its rounds through the AU circles and community! More hands means more interest and more progress!

So her group, along with my smaller, but equally important crew of three (Diane, Grey, and me) got to it, further combating the English Ivy's unchecked decade-long domination. It was perhaps the nicest day of the year yet, so we enjoyed our time messing around in the woods of the park.

Diane and I were double-booked with another service project at the park at 10, so we transitioned to meeting with Nichelle of the Zeta Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and their young understudies, the local youth of Youth Leadership Institute. Twelve young pupils arrived in matching green T-shirts to learn about tree care, nature, and ecology in general. First we opened with a demo on transplanting trees to prepare them to care for the Northern Red Oak saplings with which they were endowed. 

The kids were a captive audience, so I did my best to indoctrinate them on ecosystems, Longleaf Pine, invasive species, and the like. Of course I had to address Smokey Bear's shady legacy and the importance of fire in our forests. 

Photo cred Nichelle

Following some lessons in nature, we all had a part in yanking up some Ivy and building up a lunch appetite. 

Photo cred Nichelle

It was a pleasure in the park to spend time with these promising youth, and I hope that they return soon to enjoy Pendleton King Park. I'd like to thank Nichelle and Sharika for connecting with us and establishing a meaningful partnership!

It was a wonderful day in the park all around and an omen for good times to come for PKP and its wildlife!

Please come on out for our next workday on May 6th! I'll look for you at the tank at 9am!