Watershed Project at Sturgeon Creek

Our first painted tree...with love.

This past Thursday, a group of Gr. 11 IB students tagged along on a Gr. 12 Bio field trip. Our purpose? To clean up Sturgeon Creek and prepare it for the looming autumn/winter months. Our tasks included protecting trees from beavers by covering them by stucco wire or paint, picking up garbage, and pulling out thistle bushes that tend to grow wild along the creek. Needless to say, it was day filled with humbling work for everybody involved. This project actually spans beyond the day that our group helped out, but our part was only  for October 7  from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.. It included the "Action" and "Service" part of CAS, since lots of physical labor was involved (see: pulling out thistle bushes, etc.) and it was a voluntarily missed day of school. Though of course, it was hardly something to complain about.

Adding a final touch...

My goal for this project was to contribute as much as possible towards preparing the park for the incoming winter season. I wanted to leave at the end of the day thinking; "Look at the park. This was a job well done." Fortunately, I was able to get that feeling of accomplishment. I loved being outdoors; either painting trees or pulling thistles, and feeling that I was contributing to the well-being of the park. Of course, this isn't to say that I wholly enjoyed these tasks, but it did leave me with a satisfied feeling in the end. Painting trees for protection from the beavers did seem a little silly and menial though, especially since you had to be so thorough in covering every crack of the 3-4 feet of tree bark. However, the "artistic liberties" that my group took did made up for it (see picture). And that old lesson about thistles? Something about "grab it softly, it will prick you; grab it boldly, the spine will crumble"? Boy, did I ever learn my lesson.    

Hard at work

This project is something I would go back and repeat in the future. Like I said before, it definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment in the end, especially when I was able to look at a painted tree and know that it is now protected from beavers. Or, glancing at the Creek and seeing a large part of it cleared of thistles and garbage. And, of course, it helped that it was a beautiful autumn day spent surrounded by a picturesque park. Yes, this is definitely something I would do again.

CAS Components

Action: Efforts go towards the sustainability of Grants Old Mill.

Service: Volunteer Hours earned.