Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

On December 13th I organized the planting of 20 native trees onto once deforested property to restore the land to its natural beauty. I am sure these trees will have a great impact on the wildlife, the soil, and even the air I breathe, but the projectâ€™s greatest impact will be on me.

I am part of the Global Ecology Magnet Program at my school, which aims to evaluate how human history has impacted the environment and how the environment has impacted human history. We take numerous fieldtrips a year to historical and natural sites. On many of the trips, we have to stop to do water quality tests of bodies of water such as the Seneca creek, and C&O canal. On occasion I am pleased with the results but usually, they are appalling: depleted dissolved oxygen, high acidity, and worst but most obvious of all, litter. I set out to make a big effort to end a part of a big problem. I know now that the twenty native trees I have planted will absorb many pollutants created by man, and slow down harmful runoff water which can raise water temperature and reduce dissolved oxygen in streams, lakes and rivers. I like to follow the principles of Leave No Trace. The main idea behind these principles is to leave an area better than how you found it. Before I leave to for higher education and make even bigger changes in the world, I wanted to leave my hometown a little better than it was then I first got there. The greatest effect this project will have on me is an internal satisfaction and a drive to spread the word of Leave No Trace. All in all, if everyone in every community tried to leave their home a little better then how they found it, the world would be a much better place.