Day 2: First day on the job and man did we work!! Our lead Nikki, whom is part of the Mendocino Woodland Trust, had us dig out blackberry roots, brooms, and ice plant. These plants are invasive-meaning they are not native plants in California and it was a lesson that the pretty yellow flowers that I saw during our drive up to Mendocino were actually,bad.
A cool thing that I learned about invasive plants were the brooms. hey produce too much nitrogen, some say that nitrogen is good for the soil but really it’s not. Too much nitrogen changes the chemical reaction in the soil and sometimes it would be hard to plant certain plants. In addition, brooms came from South Africa. After 8 hours of cleaning up the side of the trail and pulling ice plants, I was wiped out and ready to call it day but not quite yet, it was taco night and it was delicious.
A take away I would have to say is that the Woodland Trust is an organization that is run by four individuals and they depend on volunteers to help with keeping the park, trails and beach cleaned/maintained. In addition, the land that they get is usually from families that aren't living there anymore and if they were to split up--it’ll be too controversial that can escalate to the point where there will be disputes or a concern that the land would be exploited, in result, the land is given to Land Trust where they draft legal documents that can preserve the land and how it’s used for the public.
Overall, today was the toughest. It exceeded my expectation of what I’ll be doing here at my Alternative Spring Break and I feel more engaged and excited with what I’ll be doing for the next couple of days.
Day 3: Today’s task was to clean all 32 cabins at Campsite 2 (where we stayed for during break) and we were split into four groups of three. Each person had a task to do--dust, sweep, spray down the beds and make sure it’s cleaned thorough. My group went to the front of camp two which were hit pretty badly from the January’s storm. As the morning continued to the afternoon, my group leader spoke a park ranger about the history of Mendocino Camp Association and she came back with a some great history tidbit about the site. Mendocino Camp Association was one of the many Civilian Conservation Corps location in United States.
In 1930 FDR created the New Plan Deal and it included a program for individuals that didn't have a job during the Great Depression to live at the woodland and where they were to help with the conservation of California Historical Parks. The program provided them food, clothing, and shelter, and in some sense helped those whom were struggling during the 1930s.
Knowing the history of the location and what it stood for to many individuals that lived 90 years ago and to today--urban youths are able to spend time in nature and learn about the habitat that some have no idea that it exists, in addition, it an education program/location. After our cleaning frenzy in the morning, we headed to hike the sea cliff where I saw, four seals, tadpoles, climbed rocks and most importantly breathed fresh air. I’m loving it.
It’s Monday night and our breakfast, lunch and supper have been splendid. Tonight, we had a special guest come over with Salmon and chocolate cake, yum. I’m loving this trip and I’m learning a lot. Especially living here at the Mendocino (30 min drive to HWY1) gives me an idea how lovely it is to go into the forest and then come out to the coastal waters--definitely a perk living here for spring break.
Day 4: Another day in the woods with my lovely ASB crew. Breakfast was made by Kai and the ‘pancake master’ Perry. The group was split up again to carry woods and my group was back to the cabins cleaning up the last eight cabins. After cleaning we rushed to catch a canoe at the big river at 1pm and we got there on time, and I have to say, the experience to be on the big river was beautiful surreal, and serene.
We saw some coastal seals, and birds--the most amazing part was when my group in stopped paddling and we were in this serene quite place that we didn't talk for 10 min. None of us said to be quiet but it was moment of silence that somehow our group found peace at that moment to be still and LISTEN. We as a group witnessed a moment that was indescribable and somehow we were in syn with each other--while being still for 10 min we were able to hear the waterfall flowing, bugs buzzing and a bird flapping its wing--it was a humbling experience that I will never forget. Being on this trip to experience how beautiful, and vital our environment is to our world--puts everything in a different perspective. I’m so glad to be on this trip to experience the great redwood, big lake and especially the moment I shared with my canoe mates--it was amazing to feel it, see it and giving back.We headed back to our starting point and met up with the other canoes and I have to say, after that, it dawned on me that this service project is more than getting hours for my course but attaining more understanding of how much of the California forest needs our help, assistance and care to conserve it for others like myself to enjoy what nature has to offer and the nature has to give to us to survive. Ultimately today’s canoe trip was an eye-opening experience where I witnessed a moment that me and a few can share because it was a shared moment---and now in a fast paced world with technology, self-centered and greedy individuals that forget how far we've come.
Its past one in the morning and some have gone off to do their own exploring in the dark and I’m in my cabin trying to get warmer to go back to the moment of peace in my memory. Twas a great day and I'll never forget it.
--------- The End.
Conclusion:
A take away from this amazing experience is how much I learned about invasive species and in result I see them everywhere in the Bay Area and I wonder, does anyone know what these plants are? Anyways, I didn't blog on the last two days because I wanted to take in the time I had with friends that I've made at Mendocino and really reflect on my experience.
I would do it again if I were to take it upon myself to plan it for next year, (most likely I will). On the last day we pulled out European sea grass and it was a task, I didn't like the fact that the roots were hard to pull out and at the same time, I was glad that we worked a little bit before we headed back to our privileged lives that everything was so easily accessible. The trip definitely changed my perspective on how fragile California really is and how it beautiful it is.
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