Josh- Big Bend- Day Three

Tuesday, January 15th and Wednesday, January 16th.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday morning started out very similar to Monday, with the exception
of Joes presentation. A quick breakfast and hurriedly packed lunch, and off to the field for
work. Since we had already tilled and seeded the land, we began on cover the seeded areas in
brush. The brush served to main purposes, as a protection for the seed and a wall against the
water. The brushed protected the seed from extreme sun, wind, and animals, while provided
a place for the water to collect and pool over the seed, providing the much needed and often
scarce water. The piles of brush we were using were all recycled from the nearby area. Trees
that were head and needed to be cleared, brush cleared from paths, and other brush that had
been cleared to provide fire protection for the residential areas.The piles ranged from tree limbs
to thorny bushes, and palm leaves to cactuses. At the end of Wednesday’’s work day we had
finished moving all the piles of brush, and had provided a large area of land with protection
and the hopes of rekindling its grasses. After our long days of work we headed back to camp
to prepare dinner, then went to take showers at the firehouse. During dinner Tuesday we had
started the telling of our “life stories,” every interesting or not detail you were willing to share
with the group. These continued throughout shower time and our nightly games of Uno, and
for the rest of the week until they were all told. After the three long days of work I was really
beginning to see the true work it took to restore the land, especially knowing our efforts were
only a very small percentage of the works going on in the park. Joe continued to tell us facts
about the park and how it was managed, and what they had been doing as a whole to help
improve the environment. The entire group felt the effects of our efforts and this, along with the
bonding over our “life stories” drew the group dynamic even closer.