Overall Reflection:
Getting the whole team of “Litter Critters” together to volunteer at Nolde was definitely a struggle. With some rearrangement of all of our schedules, we finally found a day we could all go together. During our time there, we had the opportunity to rake the leaves in the Chickadee Nature Area, making sure the kids were able to access the different stations without leaves being in their way. It might sound crazy that we were raking leaves in a forest, but Rachel informed us that bees make their nests in piles of leaves and that would not be safe for the children. After we tired from raking leaves, we found ourselves taking a short rest and watching birds eating at the feeders behind the education building they have. It was pretty cool to see all the different animals that were in the park, keeping in mind that it was still cold and it was not spring yet. We finished up the day by hiking the trails, trimming back any forestation that was protruding onto the trails and picking up trash left by ignorant hikers.
Kevin:
I really enjoyed my time volunteering at the Nolde Forest. In addition to the first day we were all together, I came back and spent a day cleaning out the fountains in the mansion garden, as well as cleaning out all the leaves from the flower beds. This project was a critical step in preparing the gardens for spring. In a couple of weeks, Friends of Nolde will complete the gardening outside of the mansion. As I was leaving, I mentioned to Rachel that I would be very interested in helping with the gardening because I enjoy doing work outside. I also presented the possibility of the park purchasing the flowers and shrubs for the beds from Lowe’s where I work. Rachel said that the Friends of Nolde purchase all the plants from an outside vendor with the help of donations and funds from the park. Nothing is set and stone, but I am going to mention to my department manager at Lowe’s about the possible project opportunity. Hopefully myself and Lowe’s will be able to help out a wonderful local park.
Amanda:
Our first session of Nolde was spent raking leaves in the kids Chickadee center. As my group mates mentioned, coordinating our schedules was a difficulty, but we manage to get all together for one of the days. We raked leaves for a couple of hours and were surprised by how much work four people can do working together. Afterwards, we spent some time watching the nature in the building next to the mansion. I really enjoyed watching the wildlife interact and eat by the feeders. After this, we spent some time hiking the trails, cutting back some branches, and looking out for trash left by naive hikers. Someone actually thanked us for keeping the trails nice while we were doing this. All in all, it was a great way to try to give back to the community, and I would do it again!
Chase:
When I was first told in the beginning of the semester that we had to complete 8-10 hours of community service, I dreaded the idea. I thought that with my schedule, I wouldn’t be able to get these hours completed without stressing myself out. After attending Nolde for the first time, my mindset changed, and didn’t even consider this as “community service.” I felt like we were simply doing a good deed for the state park, and allowed us to be more integrated into the community. The 8 hours were easy to get done, but it was hard to get the entire team at Nolde at the same time, other than the first day of service.
On the first day like the other members said, we raked the Chickadee Nature area, and after we finished this, we cleared off debris from the trails. Raking seems tedious, but Rachel explained to us that children come and play there, and big stones or bee hives can be hiding under a pile of leaves, and can harm the kids. After we raked, we hiked the trails and trimmed up branches that hindered the trail. While doing so, hikers thanked us for our efforts and truly appreciated what we were doing for the park.
All in all, it was a great team effort by the Litter Critters. We had a ton of fun at Nolde, and I feel like we all worked really well together when we could meet there at the same time. Although we had conflicting schedules, we managed to get the job done. I’m glad we decided to work at Nolde Forest, and I plan on going back to hike over the summer!
Elizabeth:
Working with Nolde this semester was a great experience. While working at Nolde, I enjoyed giving back to the community as well as helping out a great state park. Throughout the two times I visited Nolde I gained more knowledge about the forest each time. Our first visit we were all able to coordinate our schedules to go together. I enjoyed spending time with my group mates and doing the work to make the forest a better place. Raking the leaves in the Kids Nature Area was hard work, but it paid off in the end because we all worked together and accomplished a goal. We then started walking the trails and while we walked the trails we picked up trash and clipped branches that were protruding into the paths. The second visit, unfortunately we could not all coordinate our schedules to go together so we decided to split up. When I went the second time I was joined by Amanda and together we walked the trails and picked up some trash along the way. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time volunteering for Nolde Forest and I am happy I got to work with great people as well.