Service Learning in the Forest

     Its hard to believe that my undergraduate experience is already coming to a close. I have so many beautiful memories of these years, and I am a combination of excited, sad, and terrified that it’s almost over. Yet I also know that I have so much to look forward to. Hopefully, I’ll get accepted to SFSU for grad school, and will continue to pursue my dreams of being a community college professor and a novelist. In the meantime, I have a lot to look forward to during my last two semesters at HSU, including my service learning project.

     I was fortunate enough to get involved with Redwood State Parks for my service learning project. I always loved the idea of working outdoors. In times of stress, I often go for hikes to clear my mind, so working on maintaining trails has been both therapeutic and rewarding. I’ve already put in my first three hours, which consisted of maintaining the Native Plant garden at Patrick’s Point State Park. Michelle let me know that there were interpretive walks through the native plant garden for both students and tourists in the spring and summer. She was hoping we could restore the garden in time for the season.

     When Michelle first showed me the trail, the path was narrow and overgrown. The forest had been overrun with Blackberry brambles, which left little room for plant diversity. I was able to stay for three hours that day, and by the end of it, I felt like I had gotten a really great workout in. But more importantly, I looked around at the work I had done and felt a sense of pride.

     The area was hardly a path when I had first gotten there, but I had transformed a section of it into a clear trail through the woods. I’m glad to know that in the spring children will be able to walk through that path and learn about the environment. In my environmental communication class, we learned that one of the major factors that defines a person’s love for nature is having a sense of place, and an environmental mentor. Hopefully the work I’m doing will help guide people towards understanding the importance of protecting nature.

     In the spring, I will be given the chance to lead the interpretive walks through Patrick’s Point. I am elated for the opportunity. Even before I started my service learning project, I would always tell my friends and family about the plant and animal species around us on hikes. I think this experience will give me teaching experience, as well as help me further understand the forests and history of Humboldt County.

     If all goes well, I will continue to work with Redwood State Parks through the summer, leading interpretive walks, pulling invasive ivy, and maintaining trails. I feel very lucky to have the chance to work under the Spruce canopy, to the sound of song birds and wind. I am glad that I went with the service learning option and am excited to see where it takes me.