On March 12, 2020, the Forest Park Conservancy (FPC) hosted a regular volunteer work party. In this event, volunteers helped staff sharpen all of the tools necessary to do their work all year round on Forest Park’s trails and habitat. Little did we know, that would be our last group volunteer event for over a year.
This April, we are happy to report that we have started to host small volunteer events in Forest Park again, with a few new guidelines and restrictions.
On April 1st, FPC hosted a restoration event with eleven fantastic volunteers, all with masks and energy to remove invasive English Ivy. Staff and volunteers removed invasive ivy in an area previously planted with little cedar and douglas fir trees to support the native tree’s growth. The 2021 Green Jobs Training and Internship Cohort was able to attend, making it a beautiful day for a Forest Park work party and a beautiful day to build community.
Ahmed: For me already having been at a volunteer event, I’m just really glad that we’re finally able to have them again. I know it’s not in the same capacity, but I’m still very happy that we are adjusting and finding ways to engage our volunteers. It was such a beautiful day, and I want to give Al and Linda a shout-out, who I saw on the trails doing some individual volunteering at our first work party back. They are so amazing and put so much effort and time into Forest Park. I feel like the COVID guidelines we held were straightforward, and everyone followed them!
Nasir: The sun was shining, and the birds were chirping. It was a wonderful day filled with riveting conversations, hard work pulling the weeds, and cooperative weather. We thank you, nature, for this joyous occasion. I learned the value of hard work and what it means to bring a community together. Overall I feel like the team did a great job, and I don’t recall any hiccups. The people were great, the team was great, the weather was great, what more can you ask?
Matt: I would like to highlight that CDC guidelines and recommendations were followed impeccably, and next to no one had to be reminded of proper etiquette. It’s always nice to guide a natural area via traditional methods: simple hard work. Ivy is one of those unique plants I enjoy working with, despite the bad reputation it has collected within the green workforce.
Mariah: I am very grateful to have been a part of the season’s first stewardship event! It was a beautiful day spent with lovely people. Everyone was ambitious to get out there and get the work done safely. We were able to clear a huge patch of ivy, and I enjoyed talking to some of the volunteers who said this was their first time volunteering since COVID began!