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| The meticulous process of root removal |
As a small crew of Salamander Efts arrived at the Connelly
Creek service site they immediately noticed the progress that had taken place
already this season. It is pretty incredible how big of an impact a bunch of
Explorers can make on a landscape when they are motivated. The big key here is;
motivated. With only three Salamander Efts present it was going to fall on them
to really push themselves and set an example for the younger group, the Cave
Dwellers, who would be arriving shortly. After walking around the service site
and seeing where our efforts would be best suited for the day, the Salamander
Efts picked up some tools and got to work.
Immediately the mentors noticed a lack of effort and
motivation from the boys. Understandably, hard work removing thorny blackberries
and digging up stubborn root balls is not something most boys their age
voluntarily get excited about doing. That being said, it was important for us
to revisit why we were doing this work and dig deeper into the greater context
of service to unearth the motivation that would sustain our efforts. What a
great time for the Cave Dwellers to arrive! After the groups met up and went
over where to focus our efforts for the day the mentors led a conversation
while we snipped blackberries and dug up roots.
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| So many bags of Himalayan Blackberry... in one day! |
Our discussion began with the intention of mitigating our
impact from exploration off trail. Hiking off trail and sustainably harvesting
natural resources is an important part of being an Explorer so of course we
needed to give back to the land. So often we trek and tromp through natural
landscapes and inevitably leave some sort of impact. Doing service is a way for
us to compensate for some of our negative impacts on the landscape while we are
off on our explorations. Second, we must recognize the importance of giving
back to our community. Many of us have lived our whole lives in the community
of Bellingham and have benefited a lot from a fairly progressive and
active community that continually strives to improve itself. One of those
improvements is the Padden Creek
Daylighting Project. This project
has been in the work for a long time and is finally coming to fruition opening
fresh opportunities for fish migration to return to Padden Creek and the
adjoining Connelly Creek where we are doing our work. If we can repair the
riparian zone beside Connelly Creek we can provide an optimal environment for
wildlife, including the beloved salmon, to return to areas where they have been
absent for far too long. This is most definitely a big picture context that can
sometimes be hard to grasp when you are sweating buckets, getting pricked by
blackberry, and just can’t seem to yank that root out of the ground. However,
if we can remember why we are doing all this hard work and tap into that ever
elusive motivation, there is a wealth of energy and enthusiasm that will surge within
each and every Explorer.
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| Nothing like shoveling mulch to build character! |
The third reason we do this work may not be as immediately pertinent
as the first or second, at least right now, but in the future it will be
paramount. At this age, most Explorers enjoy a relatively comfortable lifestyle
of school, home cooked meals, and aside from the few chores here or there and
some homework, there is not often an opportunity to truly build work ethic and
wrestle with what work ethic means to each Explorer. Work ethic is defined as: a
belief in the moral benefit and importance of work and its inherent ability to
strengthen character. Again, this is one of those big picture concepts that
often is difficult to grasp at the age of an Explorer, but sometimes the
mentors like to think that we plant seeds. Perhaps we never get to see those
seeds come to fruition, and maybe they never do, but at least a seed has been
planted. If an Explorer can see the change they affect upon the landscape of
Connelly Creek throughout the seasons of hard work, then they may grow to
believe that they have it within themselves to affect change through hard work.
If they can gain this wisdom then the sky is the limit for what they can accomplish
in their lives. Our hope is that through service they may harness this locus of
control and begin applying it throughout their lives.
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| Now THAT is a root ball! |
It was clear today that these boys were beginning to tap
into their locus of control, harnessing motivation, and turning that into hard
work on the ground, in the present. The Salamander Efts teamed up with the Cave
Dwellers and despite their small numbers they affected tremendous change upon
the landscape. Gigantic root balls were dug up, copious amounts of Himalayan
Blackberry were eradicated. A large grove of Willow was liberated to bask in
rays of sunshine for the first time in years if not decades. Today the
Salamander Efts and Cave Dwellers not only helped mitigate our impact upon the
greater landscape of Whatcom County, nor did they just continue to drastically
improve riparian habitat for a hopefully resurgent salmon population in the
future, in fact these Explorers did something much more. Digging deep down,
deeper than that pesky blackberry root-ball, they delved deep within
themselves to harness their locus of control and channel their rambunctious energy
into a strong work ethic. The best part about it is they didn’t even know what
they were doing, that they were building this work ethic or harnessing their
locus of control. However, to any outward observer, witnessing a group of
motivated and hardy Explorers tearing up roots and ripping out blackberry with a
zealous energy, there was clearly something greater taking place and
manifesting within each individual. This is why we do service. These Explorers
are our future and after a powerful day like today it is clear that our future is bright.
Check out the rest of our photos from our outing here!
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