Stewardship: Invasives and Aerials
On the morning of Saturday, March 22nd, Georgetown University National Park Trust College Ambassadors, Lauren and Jessie, brought 12 participants out for a fun and rewarding day full of stewardship and adventure.
The first stop for this Georgetown-based crew was Belle Haven Park, located in the beautifully quaint town of Alexandria, VA. After arriving at the park’s parking lot, Lauren, Jessie, and their participants met up with Tyson, a volunteer with the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail who was facilitating their invasive species management session.
After a quick round of introductions, Tyson launched into an explanation of the park, the invasive species that the crew would be removing, and the tools that they would use to do so. Each student grabbed a pair of gloves (to protect their hands from splinters), a small pair of pruners, and either loppers or a saw (dealer’s choice).
Tyson then showed the students the three species that they would be removing: Japanese honeysuckle, English ivy, and multiflora rose, all of which are detrimental to the plants native to Belle Haven Park. Once everyone had grabbed their tools, the group split into pairs and each claimed a spot in the park to tend to. It didn’t take long for the group to settle into easy conversation. Tyson continued to circle the park during the 2 hours that the students were removing invasives, answering questions and offering tips to each pair he spoke to. The students found the work to be extremely gratifying, as they could see the impact that they were having on the plants in front of them.
The pictures above show two trees that students removed English ivy from. Per Tyson’s instructions, the pair worked to remove a ring of the ivy from the trees. Once the ring has been disconnected from the rest of the ivy, it will lose its source to nutrition and die.
After their 2 hours were up, the group reassembled for pictures. Annaliese Wan, the coordinator of the NPT College Ambassador program, joined the group at the park and gave out some NPT-branded Buddy Bison to the participants! One of the Buddy Bisons immediately got to work with their pruners…
After pictures, the group set off for their second location: an aerial course hosted by Calleva located at the Madeira School! Students were hungry after removing all those invasives and happily enjoyed their packed lunch of tortillas, hummus, cheese, summer sausage, fruit gummies, tangerines, and granola bars…an Outdoor Education classic!
The Calleva instructors joined the group towards the end of their lunch and introduced themselves. They also outlined the plan for the rest of the day and asked the participants what they do or think about when they’re scared or nervous. Some of the participants mentioned reminding themselves that pushing themselves past their limits is almost always worth it, that they chose to do this activity, and that being nervous is a sign of growth. Once lunch was finished and packed up, the students made their way over to the gear, got suited up, and began the ropes course!
At Ground School (where participants can practice getting onto and off of the rope), the students practiced moving their kong (the attachment on their harness that connected them to the rope) through the rope and gained some confidence before embarking on the actual course.
Once the course was through, the group hiked down to the pavilion and enjoyed some s’mores (courtesy of Calleva) while debriefing the day and shouting each other out.
All in all, the day was filled with joy, giving back to the community, and adventure. One participant mentioned to Lauren and Jessie that the trip was the highlight of her semester. Lauren and Jessie look forward to their next (and final) NPT trip, a collaboration with the Georgetown Disability Cultural Center.
