Sue-Meg State Park

With the service experiences in California, we really got in and got our hands dirty. The only experiences at home that I have had getting my hands dirty was fall and spring cleaning. The main difference I see in the service in California and at home is that in California it is not about making it look neat and pretty, it is about getting rid of the non-native plants that are preventing the native plants from growing. At home, fall and spring cleaning are more about making things look neat and pretty for people’s homes. In the Redwoods there was nothing “neat” about where we were, it was pure chaos of green and leafy things, but that was the whole point, letting nature do what it needs to do. All we were supposed to do is help the native plants have a better chance by getting rid of the invasive species. Another difference between the work we do at home and the work we did in California was the amount of recognition. At home people comment on what great work we have done and how their yards or homes look so nice. In the Redwoods, we were not doing work for people, we were doing work for nature. The only people that will know how much work we completed is the leaders we worked with, and anyone that works with them. The whole community will not know, and we will not get as much recognition. I found this work in nature much more rewarding and I know it is just as important, if not more important, than the work we do that gets more recognition.En savoir plus