Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

My name is Ujijji, I am originally from Brooklyn, New York, and I am a sophomore at Cornell University. In my home, and at my school, I was taught to respect nature and to understand its symbiotic relationship with my life, and the life of others. My mother told me, a damaged environment perpetuates a damaged lifestyle. Thus, in the light of Hurricane Katrina, I volunteered my time in New Orleans (LA) in January 2009 to participate in several clean-up projects in the Lower 9th Ward and other damaged areas. I believe that in helping communities clean up, especially after a natural disaster, I can help in stimulating the revival of that community and the surrounding environment.
New Orleans is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and on the banks of the Mississippi river. This city is very beautiful but was built on thousands of feet of soft sand, and clay. This means that more than fifty percent of the area of this city is below sea level. In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina occurred, more than eighty percent of the city was underwater. This hurricane damaged thousands of properties, and took many lives. Today, in 2009, these areas still look desolate: there are steps that lead to missing homes, and there are pieces of damaged houses in the wildlife reserves and streams that litter the city The Gulf Coast also has a large animal population in its wetlands. Millions of migrating birds, alligators, crabs, spoonbills and turtles find their homes on these coastal wetlands. The lack of clean up is hurting the surrounding ecosystem, in that there is more pollution, direct exposure to lead paint and toxins, and a limitation of habitual space.
Upon arrival in New Orleans, my team and I worked on one property in the Lower 9th Ward that was sufficiently damaged. More than half of the house was destroyed and its remnants were scattered in the surrounding areas. My team and I cleaned up the damaged house parts, filling up two large dumpsters and tens of garbage bags. We repaired the foundation of the house by laying down three tons of concrete and we boarded up the house for the next team to continue its rehabilitation. After removing the debris from the house, we replanted the surrounding native shrubberies to promote its continual existence.
In another area of the Lower 9th Ward, we waded into surrounding streams and removed debris and litter from them. These streams were polluted from the hurricane and also from illegal dumping. We found many things there, like tires, old television sets, clothing and paint cans. We safely and legally removed these hazardous items from the streams where fish, crabs and birds live, breed and eat. All in all, we were able to remove deleterious items that could potentially harm wildlife, clean up hurricane-stricken communities, and promote environmental expansion.
I think that it is important to take care of the Gulf Coast because of its biodiversity. Wetlands are home to thousands of birds, and marine and terrestrial animals. In maintaining these wetlands, we can understand the life patterns of the inhabiting animals. We can also interpret the signs that these animals react to in order to make intelligent plans to anticipate detrimental storms, thus minimizing the levels of cleanup afterward and decreasing the levels of family displacement.
Working in New Orleans has changed me in that I want to give back and help communities that need it. From seeing the status of the clean up in New Orleans, I can tell that the people, and the wildlife, are not receiving an adequate amount of help or care for their continuous hurricane problem. Seeing New Orleans made me want to help because if a natural disaster hit my hometown, I would want someone to come and help me if I was having difficulty helping myself. My future career revolves around helping others. I want to develop an urban design firm that focuses on creating affordable housing for those who need it, as well as creating beautiful and eco-stimulating areas so that humans and animals can coexist without damaging the environment they share.