First Action Day (Team Blue Marsh) April 4th, 2015

On March 27th we started our action with Blue Marsh. It was the first day being on the trails pulling up rotting railroad ties to help clear any dangerous obstructions for hikers. When we got there we met with Kathleen, packed up the tools, and went down to Great Oak Trail to see what we would be doing for the day. After instruction from Kathy, we started getting our hands dirty, prying up the rotting railroad ties and attempting to carry them out of the path. With some teamwork and some elbow grease, we managed to make a pretty good dent on getting the ties up and hammering any exposed nails back into the ground. During the three hours we were there, we got to enjoy one of the first true days of spring; seeing some wild onions, a few bugs, and meeting a hiker who took an interest into what we were doing. Yes, it is definitely hard work, and we felt it the next day, but being out in nature and giving some of our time to make a difference for an ecosystem was great! We are all looking forward to going back soon to continue clearing the path!

-Team Blue Marsh

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After pulling up some railroad ties

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Rotting railroad ties

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Wild onions growing

 

Team Introduction (Team Blue Marsh) March 8, 2015

Hello! Our names are Darby, Nathan, Lauren, and Lindsay, and we are Team Blue Marsh. We are a mix of juniors and sophomores at Penn State Berks and are all Business Majors but each focus on separate programs in Accounting, Marketing, Management, and Hospitality Management. As a team, we are pairing with Blue Marsh Lake to assist in cleaning up their Great Oak Nature Trail of potentially dangerous railroad ties so visitors and camp kids are safe while hiking and exploring around the lake. We all have hobbies that take place outdoors, such as hiking, fishing, skiing, and swimming.Being outside is a big part of all of our lives and hobbies especially when the weather is nice! We are all excited to get out into the community and be able to use our time and resources to help Blue Marsh in making their parks and lake a great place for the community to come, explore, and learn about nature. Some of us have been able to go on missions trips and serve with the people of that nation; in the same way we are excited to serve in our local community and get hands on experience with the environment. We all hope to learn more about our environment and gain real world experience on the impact humans have on nature and become more aware of environmental issues in our area. We cannot wait to get outside and get involved!