Nicodemus Wilderness Project
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NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Kilby Laboratory School, Florence, Alabama, USA

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Kilby Laboratory School, Florence, Alabama, USA
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Holcombe777



Registered: December 2020
City/Town/Province: Florence
Posts: 1
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I do not believe that I can thank the Nicodemus Wilderness Project enough since I not only have an opportunity for a needed scholarship, but I also have gained so much out of this project which I will explain further later. When I was young, I did not go outside much and I did not enjoy the outdoors much. I thought it was boring and I could have a better time playing video games. If I could have talked to my present self, I would have learned a valuable lesson, which is what my project was partly based on. A few years ago, my cousin took me hunting and I loved it. That is what I give credit to for my love for nature now. Ever since that day, the wilderness has played a large chunk in my life. This project will be one of many since my love for nature is only growing.
Education is what keeps society moving forward. We learn from the past and learn how to progress. That is the reason behind my project that I took initiative on in May of 2020. I worked at an elementary school in north Alabama called Kilby Laboratory School. This school means a lot to me due to that being my first school. I expanded and improved a small garden there opening up doors for the school to teach the children about gardening and the importance of farming. The garden was overgrown with weeds and small. I doubled it in size and created a stronger foundation. The sides were made of plastic that was slowly collapsing. I took that out and put railroad ties in their place. I also cleaned all the weeds and other trash out and put new fresh topsoil in there. Although I did not personally plant anything, I know the school already put the improved garden to great use. I did not plant anything because they wanted something in particular that I did not have, so I of course let them. I raised over 1700 dollars for this project and used all of them for materials and supplies. I luckily already had the tools, so that made the process much smoother. I am very thankful for the volunteers that came out that day to help. I could not have done it without them. I led the project, but everyone contributed a great deal. Not only did we create new garden beds, but with the grass that had to be moved for the new bed, we put them in a dirt spot that was all dead. The school now has less spots of dirt and rock, and more grass. Another key part of my project was the signage. I created a small post sign in front of the garden that is labeled with each individual plant and where it is. There is a large mounted metal non-weathering sign above the bed that says "Kilby Eco-Literacy Learning Lab". There were other small parts of the project that were simple yet still took time and money. One of these parts was a new gutter extension to make sure that leaves and things to erode the plants do not get in the soil. There are also stepping stones for the children in the soil to get an up close view of the garden after seeing the labeled sign. I had extra stepping stones, so we put them in a doorway leading to the garden. The project turned out better than planned, and I have been informed that many children have enjoyed learning about the garden and plants. I believe that this project will teach children attending this school about things they might have never heard of. I am very fortunate that a teacher there is a full blooded Native American, and she is the head over the garden. She is the one that plants and teaches the children about this garden. My only regret for this project is not doing it sooner. This project could open up many opportunities for the wildlife conservationists community because these children could do projects just like this, which would blossom into more and more people doing educational wildlife projects.
I am not sure what I want to do in the future yet, but I know it will include wildlife since my love for it is so strong. Being a Boy Scout has also really helped me grow a love for the outdoors. One of my life goals is to play a large part in reviving peoples' interests for wilderness. The wild is truly a beautiful place, but many people do not take the time to appreciate it. I hope to change this and educate people why the outdoors is so great and truly important. I will keep doing projects like this till everyone has a desire to benefit the wildlife community. I enjoy these projects because it mixes two of the most important things of all time, which is education and wilderness. I have seen a growth of liking towards nature by many of my friends in the last couple of years, and that warms my heart. I am ecstatic that I can play even a small role in that growth. I just hope my project sustains well(which it should) so that generations to come can see it and maybe even another person will come and improve upon my own work. Not only has this project helped others, but it has also helped me in many aspects. I have now realized that projects do not always go as planned, but improvisation can many times lead to a better outcome. Another thing I have learned is that teamwork is so very important. I could not have even started the bulk of my project without the people that were there to help me. I also know that this project will reveal more things to me in the future. Thank you so much for this opportunity, and I had a great time participating.
· Date: December 10, 2020 · Views: 3663 · File size: 22.9kb, 5565.3kb · : 4032 x 3024 ·
Hours Volunteered: 116
Volunteers: 15
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 17 & 16 to 52
Area Restored for Native Wildlife (hectares): 0.1
Trash Removed/Recycled from Environment (kg): 6.75
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