Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." My name is Lauren Daub and I am a senior in high school. The environment has always been an important factor in my life. When my family purchased a cabin in the state of West Virginia, I thought it would be the perfect place to start a project that would help the health of the environment. I wanted to do a project that would express my love for the environment and help improve the health of it. My family and I decided to develop a tree farm. The area where the established tree farm sits is in our field where the deer and many birds can get to. We planted 1,000 seedlings and 150 established native trees. Before we planted the trees, we had to research the trees native to the area and plan where we were going to plant them.
We selected the tree that was native to the area and planned where we wanted to plant them. We worked on spacing the trees apart from each other. By planting these trees we can help stop global warming, which is a major issue in our generation. Reducing green house gases and preventing soil erosion are benefits of the tree farm. They greatly effect our environment and these trees will help prevent them from continuing. Not only do the trees help the environment, but they help the wildlife in the area. They provide a habitat for surrounding wildlife. It is important to monitor and help control the environment for animals in the area. This tree farm will be a help to the world and will be a continuing legacy for years to come.
It is important to take care of the world around us. We only have one planet; we need to take care o it. I decided to make West Virginia the center of my project because the state is a very important part of my life. My family spends our weekends, holidays and much of our summer there. I am going to college there and plan to live there on my own farm in my future. It is a main part of my life and I want it to be for years to come. For this to happen, we need to keep the environment helathy so it keeps growing for the future.
By planting a tree farm the community and the environment benefit. The trees help produce oxygen, stop greenhouse gases and help the community "go green". The trees help our world by not only making it healthier but they make our world last longer too. Reducing global warming will help the earth stay alive and healthy longer. Our world can only benefit from creating tree farms. The more citizens that establish tree farms, the healthier our earth will become and stay.
Helping the environment has enriched my life in many ways. It has helped me appreciate nature in different ways. Nature is all around us and we rarely appreciate everything it has to offer. Trees provide us with air to breathe. Sunlight provides us with vitamins and fresh air to strengthen our bodies. We need to remember how precious our earth is. Without nature, we would be nothing. Helping to plant a tree farm has made me realize that nature should not be taken for granted. It is an important part of every one of our lives and I feel privileged to have helped make a difference. In my future I hope to continue to make a difference in our environment. I hope to start my own tree farm and start my own farm. My dream for my future started when I planted the first seedling at our tree farm. I may be a long way from starting my own farm but planting a tree is my first step to reaching my dream.