Our Fourth Visit to the Nature Center

Today was our fourth visit to the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge. We continued the work we started a few weeks ago shoveling clay-like dirt piles onto the trail to fill in places where the pathway had eroded from water and flooding. One of the first things I noticed when moving to Texas was the lack of efficient drainage when it rains. The roads near TCU tend to flood, and the nature center seems to have a similar problem. While our work re-paving the path will improve it temporarily, I really think they should implement a new drainage system to prevent this same problem from reoccurring. Today was a little different from the other days since we worked on another group’s trail rather than our own. I actually really enjoyed this since we got to see another area of the nature center than the just the one spot where we have been spending most of our time.

When we first started our dirt work a few weeks ago, I found it exhausting and somewhat difficult. Now, I am finding it more peaceful as I have found my shoveling rhythm and feel like my work is contributing to the nature center in some way. It feels more productive that snipping privet like we did our very first week, and I can see a real difference from week to week. I enjoy the shared conversation with my classmates during our days at the nature center and notice the beauty of the trails during the quiet moments. One of the nature center employees pointed out some different species of grass to me today and explained the identifying features and their purposes to me. This reminded me of my days as a Girl Scout when I was younger and the hikes and camping trips we would go on to learn “Leave No Trace” and how to use our natural resources.

By the end of our visit today, we had made significant progress on the trail. Combining groups of students definitely helped us make more progress in a focused area today. I wish I had taken some pictures of the finished product, but the trail looks great! Some sweet older women passed us while we worked today and even pointed out how great it was looking. I hope we are able to complete our trail by the end of our final visit.