Nature Journals I - Entry 7

Today was our first day out at the Fort Worth Nature Center, and honestly it already felt different from anything I have done so far. Even just driving there felt like we were heading out into the middle of nowhere. Once we got there, everything slowed down. No buildings, no noise, just trees, dirt, and open space.

After we got briefed on what we were doing, we headed out to our site. Our job was to clear out bamboo, cutting and dragging the stems into piles. At first it did not seem that hard, but after doing it for about two hours in the heat, it definitely caught up to me. The bamboo itself was thicker than I expected, with long hollow stems and thin leaves that spread out in clusters. In the pictures, you can see the piles we made, especially the large clump of green bamboo branches stacked together. It was satisfying to actually see the difference we made in the space. 

What I started noticing while working was everything around us. The ground was covered in dry leaves and small broken branches, and there were taller trees all around us that looked like a mix of oak and possibly elm based on the bark and branching patterns. Some trees had lighter green leaves just starting to come in, while others were still mostly bare. The sunlight filtered through the canopy and created patches of light and shadow across the ground.

Being out there made me think back to Abbey and what he says about actually engaging with the land instead of just passing through it. This was not just walking on a trail or looking at scenery. We were physically interacting with the environment, clearing out invasive bamboo and changing the space ourselves. It made me realize how different it feels to actually work in nature instead of just observing it. Even though it was tiring, it felt more real and meaningful than just looking at it from a distance.





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