On August 26th, the day after moving-in, scholars in the Science and Global Change Program (me included), went on a trip to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens to volunteer in preserving it. We were driven to the location by bus, and then given a short introduction by some park rangers, where we were told the history and our tasks for the day; path maintenance and pond maintenance.
My teammates and I were hoping to be assigned to path maintenance first, as we didn't want to be wet for half the day, and we wanted to escape the heat of the afternoon by sitting in the water. As our luck would have it though, we were assigned to pond maintenance first. We were given a waterproof vest (visible in the picture to the right), which did a surprisingly good job at keeping us dry.
Pond maintenance consisted of two roles; either standing in the pond and digging out weeds, or standing out of the pond and picking up/wheeling away the plants and mud being thrown out by those within. I started off outside the pond, but about halfway through I got in. At first digging out the plants were difficult, but during the latter-half I got into the groove of things. I think I dug out a third my weight by the time it was over.
We were then freed from this hard labor for our lunch break, which consisted of a miserable turkey-sandwich that I couldn't bother to eat and an apple. Afterwards we went back, this time to work on the paths. This consisted of either depositing dirt in a wheelbarrow or wheeling it away to drop off at certain spots. This was a lot more laid-back, and I spent the time admiring the surroundings. Then we got back on the bus and headed back to UMD.
I was dirty and miserable upon arrival back at the dorm, and had to beg a friend at Johnson-Whittle to let me in so I could use their bathrooms (all the ones at Centerville were filled). Each individual bathroom at Johnson-Whittle probably has more budget than half my floor, and I took my time cleaning up. Then I headed back, so I could finally eat a proper lunch. Quite the experience for my second day on campus.
(More images/videos of the trip will be uploaded later)
SGC Gallery and On-Line Projects:
- Back To the Portfolio
- The Expectations Essay
- Carbon Footprint Infographic
- Freshman Time Capsule
- Three Semester Review
- First Semester Excursion Report (In-Person)
- Second Semester Excursion Report (In-Person)
- Third Semester Excursion Report Part One (Virtual)
- Third Semester Excursion Report Part Two (Virtual)