Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

This past summer I experienced it. Thatâ€™s right, I got ticks on my back, dirt on my clothes, sweat in my hair, and poison ivy all over. This past summer, I came to a life changing realization. I love nature. I was completely engulfed in it for about two months over the summer while working with the Student Conservation Association in accordance with the National Parks Service. When I say working I mean manual labor; this city girl had to hike over 6 miles everyday to work while carrying tools, this city girl had to get on her hands and knees and pull weeds off of trails, this city girl slept in a tent for two months, this city girl was utterly exposed to the elements, and loved it. I was submersed in a way of life that consisted of hard work and an overall appreciation for nature. While working with the SCA I learned all about conservation and the value of the environment. My conservation crew worked throughout Mammoth Cave National Park, set on improving trails to allow complete natural aesthetic appeal and to further permit the enjoyment of the woodlands. I worked in Mammoth Cave National Park out in the backcountry trails near the Green River. My crew repaired trails, built water bars to prevent erosion of the soil from the tumultuous summer rain storms, restored campsites, and protected the habitat of the box turtle. Throughout my trip, I experienced deer and fawn while working in the backcountry in addition to skunks, rabbits, box turtles, salamanders, bats, copperhead snakes, raccoons, whippoorwill, beavers, otters, wild turkeys, and the extraordinary cave dwelling insects and creatures with no eyes! The forest was a beautiful area to work in with ever alluring sycamore trees and the pesky plethora of poison ivy, which just added to the diversity of the landscape. The work I partook in will have a lasting value because the trails that we built and restored were done so in a precise manner so as to block of potential destruction by off trail horse maneuvers. We lopped back the brush so as to prevent future over growth and we built fences to prevent off trail excursions and destruction of the terrain. This picture captures the essence of my work this past summer, trail work in a beautiful area; this permits one to recognize the continuous efforts of conservation organizations throughout the United States. I am proud to say that I have made a difference in the conservation and preservation of our environment and I take great elation in noting that my environmental efforts and concerns are forever engrained into my lifestyle, thus permitting me to imply positive environmental practices all day, everyday and to promote such practices to those around me. It is important to sustain the natural beauty of Mammoth Cave National Park because there is no other place in the world that boasts of 360 miles of caverns and a beautiful Kentucky countryside. It is conclusive that the world we live in is priceless, irreplaceable, and valuable beyond compare, hence why those who are supported by this amazing Earth need to extend the utmost respect and protection to it without exception.