On December 4th, 2017, the River Dawgz presented their EACAP experience to the students of BISC 3 – Environmental Science through their Adobe Spark webpage, which can be found at the following link: https://spark.adobe.com/page/cdtZ6yGU3w3e6/. Our presentation went extremely well, as we spoke about our service project, research on the epidemic of waste in our National Parks, and showed videos to enhance our presentation. The River Dawgz collectively speaking contributed close to 45 hours together towards this project. Detailed below is each group member’s individual reflection on the efforts made for this project:
- The EACAP project has really helped define the problems within our environment globally, but also on a local scale. The Schuylkill River National Heritage Area is truly a piece of art and beauty. Every effort that can be made to help preserve the area and trail access routes needs to be done. As researched in our research report titled “The Epidemic: Waste in Our National Parks,” Teddy Roosevelt V refers to national parks and local park systems as crown jewels. The Schuylkill River Trail can serve as a nice area to go on a hike and have a picnic with your family, or on a date with a significant other. Our group’s bond and friendship will be everlasting, as the EACAP project has impacted and changed our perspective on environmental issues. – Hunter Beane
- Having the EACAP Project as part of our class was a great idea because we were learning in class about our environment and then going out and witnessing for ourselves the amount of trash that there is. My group and I chose to figure out a route to the SRT from the Glenside Elementary School. We not only got to know more about each other, but became good friends and cooperated to get our research done and help Bob figure out an access route so it can be used more often. Our research was conducted by figuring out the best route to get to the trail. The trail can be identified by a big parking lot with a skate park, basketball court, workout area, and a big field within the general vicinity. We have found that there isn’t a problem with the amount of trash cans there are, however, there are no recycling cans. We found trash all along the trail and in the river, so it’s up to us as trail users to take the time to throw away our trash and bottles. Hopefully from our research, we can attract more people to use the trail because it is honestly a nice place to spend time and enjoy the nature surrounding it. – Bailey McMillin
- Participating in the EACAP project has connected me in many ways with the community and its environmental issues. There are a variety of issues ranging from litter and pollution in public parks and on public trails, as well as the water supply for millions of people being contaminated. Personally, I’ve grown up around the SRT and have utilized it many times throughout my childhood. The trail seems to be maintained to a certain extent because there are trash cans about every 100 feet with no recycling bins. This is one issue we have established and along with that, is the trash around the trail. There are tons of trash cans with trash laying right next to them. I don’t believe the placement of trash cans is the issue but the issue is us humans not making sure the trash makes it into the trash cans. In our meeting with Bob, we were told the trail isn’t utilized as much as it should be by the community. Hunter, Bailey, Andy, and I have mapped out ways to access the trail. There are a variety of activities to do while on the trail and getting more people to utilize it is our goal! I believe we have set up a foundation for our goal to be accomplished with the creation of our map access routes. – John Wagner
- The EACAP project has opened my eyes to many aspects of the environment as well as life. The EACAP project has not only kept my group and I concerned about the environment throughout the semester, but we have become great friends because of it. My team and I explored the Schuylkill River Trail and tried to help Bob Folwell figure out a way to make it easier to access for young children, as well as clean up the trail’s trash. While walking on the trail, I noticed there is a lot more trash cans than there is recycling cans. That is a major problem and needs to be fixed as soon as possible. Also, while walking on the trail, I began to love the environmental atmosphere. There are many nice parts but also some endangered aspects of the environment. We found that students from Glenside can walk about a quarter of a mile to the trail. Right before entering the trail, there is a skate park as well as a basketball court that they can play at. This trail is beautiful and is a great place to walk as well as explore nature. Hopefully our research has given some insight on how to improve the trail. – Andrew Urban
Overall, this project was a great experience and we hope that future students of this course carry on the legacy of making our community a better place! Have a great Winter Break! 🙂