Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

My cleanup project took place at Patapsco Valley State Park located in Maryland, USA. The park consists of picnic areas, playgrounds, lakes, hiking and mountain bike trails. As I walked into the park, I saw some beautiful flowers and trees but as I walked on even further I began noticing trash littered everywhere, mostly around places close to the streets. I found a lot of trash, the most disgusting trash I found were cigarettes littered all over the place, I found beer bottles, some were partially empty. I saw food and drinks covered with worms, bugs and all sorts of insects, there were also little birds around hunting for food, whereby harming themselves with deadly substances. I found lighters, matches, old shoes, clothes, filthy toilet papers, needles, cups and food containers. At the end of the day I collected over 100Ibs of trash.
This is the first time I have conducted my own nature cleanup project, and it felt good knowing that I have made the world a much cleaner place. I think it is important to take care of this park because it provides people the opportunity to play and relax with their families without having to worry about the cleanliness and safety of the park. I thank the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative for making this opportunity available for many young people to protect their environment. I feel happy knowing that I made a difference in the world, with this scholarship I will buy cleaning equipments and travel to many parks and recreational sites, cleaning and making it a better place to be.