Yesterday we met the Nature Center staff inside one of the bison grazing areas that is fenced off next to the road. We were given a quick lesson in what needed to be cleared; since bison are grazers instead of browsers (such as deer), the fewer woody species present in the field, the better. However, this particular field was covered in a species called mesquite, plants which mainly looked like saplings, but that had thorns all over their branches. These thorns got as long as an inch to an inch and a half and were quite sharp. Thankfully as we began to cut, we found that most of the saplings lacked large thorns at their trunks.
We split into three groups to try to cover more area, with one person designated to pour herbicide over the stumps of the saplings. This person had to be briefly trained and sign a waiver expressing their understanding that they were working with strong chemicals. It was interesting to discuss both with classmates and the staff why they use herbicide. Our immediate emotional response is that chemicals are killing elements of the environment, which means we are not actually helping nature. I appreciated that staff's position as well, however. Mesquite is a species that grows back immediately after you prune it, meaning that it is a reoccurring issue for the Nature Center. In an ideal world, they would have an army of volunteers to maintain the fields simply by trimming, in order to prevent damage to other wildlife through the use of herbicides. However, even as a class it would probably take us a week or more of full days to completely trim this one field, and there are five of them on the property. Although I don't love the idea of spreading chemicals through root systems and potentially to surrounding soil and plants, I understand the necessity and appreciate how carefully the staff here uses it. They don't go spraying it on everything like a lot of places have begun to do.
I think my favorite part of this trip was getting to learn more about the bison and the staff's role in caring for them. Like I mentioned before, I had never seen a bison until two weeks ago, so their stories about herding them, running away from them, and taking care of them fascinated me. I continue to be blown away every week by the sheer amount of work these THREE staff members are able to accomplish! If I were in their position, I would get incredibly overwhelmed and probably feel defeated and like I wasn't making that much of a difference. This staff is so passionate about their land that they not only are inspired themselves to keep caring for it, but are inspiring me to want to continue coming and helping out.
We split into three groups to try to cover more area, with one person designated to pour herbicide over the stumps of the saplings. This person had to be briefly trained and sign a waiver expressing their understanding that they were working with strong chemicals. It was interesting to discuss both with classmates and the staff why they use herbicide. Our immediate emotional response is that chemicals are killing elements of the environment, which means we are not actually helping nature. I appreciated that staff's position as well, however. Mesquite is a species that grows back immediately after you prune it, meaning that it is a reoccurring issue for the Nature Center. In an ideal world, they would have an army of volunteers to maintain the fields simply by trimming, in order to prevent damage to other wildlife through the use of herbicides. However, even as a class it would probably take us a week or more of full days to completely trim this one field, and there are five of them on the property. Although I don't love the idea of spreading chemicals through root systems and potentially to surrounding soil and plants, I understand the necessity and appreciate how carefully the staff here uses it. They don't go spraying it on everything like a lot of places have begun to do.
I think my favorite part of this trip was getting to learn more about the bison and the staff's role in caring for them. Like I mentioned before, I had never seen a bison until two weeks ago, so their stories about herding them, running away from them, and taking care of them fascinated me. I continue to be blown away every week by the sheer amount of work these THREE staff members are able to accomplish! If I were in their position, I would get incredibly overwhelmed and probably feel defeated and like I wasn't making that much of a difference. This staff is so passionate about their land that they not only are inspired themselves to keep caring for it, but are inspiring me to want to continue coming and helping out.
Great post. My favorite part was also listening to Daniel and Michelle talk about their bison experiences during the water break. The work was tiring, but it was much appreciated.
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