Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

During my sophomore year in high school, I created my own animal rights and environmental protection club at my school called "C.A.P.E. For Tomorrow". Over the last two years, we have participated in countless activities like tree planting, native seed collection, horseshoe crab tagging, petitioning, and working on getting plant-based and biodegradable utensils in our school. One of my members and I's favorite activity to do is tree planting. Getting your hands dirty and really feeling like on with the Earth is an amazing feeling, and you leave each event feeling so good about yourself. I decided to do a Apprentice Ecologist project on behalf of the Nicodemus Wilderness Project because I am a fan of the "educating by example" way they present themselves. What better way to get youth involved than truly having them go out and make a difference? I also share many of the same missions as the Nicodemus Wilderness Project, such as teaching younger generation about our planet and how they can contribute to saving it, and improving living conditions for not only animals in the community, but people as well. That being said, I decided to make my Apprentice Ecologist project a Halloween tree planting.
We conducted our project at the local James Farm Ecological Preserve in Ocean View, Delaware. It's a small nature preserve just outside of Bethany Beach, Delaware. We specifically picked a secluded, wide open clearing to plant a total of 140 seedlings, a mix of local trees like the swamp white oak, chestnut oak, blackjack oak, mockernut hickory, persimmon, and black haw. We advertised our planting for children and their families, as there would be a costume judging contest, nature crafts, and candy! About 100 of the holes were pre-dug and sprinkled with fertilizer. For more advanced participants like my members and I, we provided shovels, fertilizer, and location markers so people could dig their own. The turn out was amazing! With about 50 people in total coming at different times of the day, we finished the clearing in about 3-4 hours. Not only did everyone have a fantastic time, but we replenished land with native trees that will soon grow to be a beautiful, thriving ecosystem.
I think it's important to take care of the James Farm Ecological Preserve because our planet is becoming more and more urbanized every single day, which breaks my heart. I am fortunate enough to live in a community that is very involved in restoration acts, but for some people, places like the James Farm Ecological Preserve are an oasis compared to the environment that they live in every day. I wanted to do my project here because I want to continue keeping the preserve as beautiful and as healthy as I can, not only for other people, but for the animals as well. There is so much biodiversity and life in one tiny ecosystem, and by conducting our tree planting here, we may have created an entirely new area for animals to live.
My Apprentice Ecologist project has shown me that getting out in the community and making change isn't as scary as I think, and there are so many people out there with minds alike to mine. By creating my own tree planting, I have begun considering career options like a volunteer coordinator for a local nature group, or a eco-tour guide. I love getting other people in touch with nature and seeing them do good for the Earth. I'm beyond happy to add the tree planting to my list of accomplishments, and have looked back on that for the last couple weeks hungry to do more.