Entry 7- Making Space

Without further ado, we had the chance to visit the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge for the first time this semester. As explained by Dr. Jared Wood, the Center was originally created to protect the local watershed and has since become a preserve for local wildlife and native ecosystems. Ironically, our volunteer task was to disrupt it, or so I thought.

Our job was simple: cut back the invasive bamboo that was overtaking the landscape. Armed with clippers and gloves, we set out to clear thick clusters of bamboo stalks to make space for native plants to grow. At the beginning, my partner and I were ambitious. We were clipping, grabbing, and discarding at an impressive pace. As time passed, the work became monotonous, sweaty, and tiring. More importantly, it lacked meaning. I hadn’t reconciled why what we were doing mattered.  

That changed quickly.

Rocco and I were deep in the brush, mindlessly cutting, when a sudden rumble shook the stalks below us. Furry creatures, about knee height, their more detailed features hidden by the brush, shot past us like cannon balls. Startled, we tracked down the Nature Center employee who informed us we were only feet away from wild boar. Laughing as we returned to our area, we soon spotted deer quietly stalking in the distance. In a matter of minutes, we encountered more wildlife than I expected to see all semester.  

In that moment, the purpose of our work became clear. Our labor was to make space for the environment, and the wildlife we had just seen to function appropriately within it.

What I once thought was disruption was actually restoration. Our first day “in the field” taught me that nature isn’t something to passively admire or learn about in the classroom; rather, it requires effort. I found a much stronger connection to the environment than I ever could have by simply observing it.

Attached is a photo of another incredible animal we were clearing space for. I am really looking forward to our next trip.