Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

My name is Joseph and I am from Garfield Heights, a suburb to the south of Cleveland. I have spent a great portion of my life exploring, hiking, and appreciating the forest near my home. With every visit I observe something new and astounding to me. I have seen flash floods, animals being born, and landmark trees fall. I've come to consider the forest my home, and I have developed a sensitivity for nature. Unfortunately, the creek running through the forest has been subject to neglect and abuse. I took it upon myself to lead a group of my peers to remove all trash from a section of the creek.
The area that my group cleaned was a shallow, rocky section of creek located in Garfield Park, located at coordinates 41.430513,-81.604569. The creek primarily passes through the forested area, but also passes through a small marsh.
At the time of the project, I was passing my position of president of the National Honor Society to the next in line. To promote leadership, I enlisted the help of the new leaders of the group, I delegated and organized tasks. I established contact with the manager of the park and requested permission to carry out the cleanup project. The manager happily supplied us with garbage bags and agreed to assist us in disposing the trash. Then, we presented the project to a group of approximately 60 students and asked for their assistance, and half of them assisted in the cleanup efforts.
Armed with garbage bags and gloves, I lead a third of the volunteers upstream, collecting trash in and adjacent to the water. I delegated the responsibility of the rest of the volunteers to the new leaders. This allowed them to practice their leadership skills and allowed me to focus on leading a smaller group. Over a length of creek of about 300 meters, my group removed two bicycles, one stroller, and twelve full bags of garbage.
This project was beneficial because it improved the aesthetic quality of the park, and it also made the creek more habitable for wildlife. As litter and debris are cleared from the creek, the environment becomes more fitting for plants and animals. This project has inspired my peers in the National Honor Society to continue organizing creek cleanups regularly, and it will be a recurring project for years to come. I hope to assist in other cleanup efforts in the future.
This experience has reinforced values. As a mechanical engineering student, I understand that environmental concerns will play an important role in my career. Because of this project and my experiences with nature, I consider treating the environment ethically a priority.