Bye Bye Privet

This week, we volunteered as a class at the Fort Worth Nature Center. I was excited to share this experience with my classmates because I had never visited this part of Fort Worth before. On the drive there, it was satisfying to see the landscape outside of the car slowly begin to change. We noticed how everything became greener as we traveled further and further away from TCU’s campus. We talked about what it would be like to live out here. It seemed so peaceful to be secluded from the traffic and amount of people closer to the city. 

Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

Before we left for the nature center, I quickly looked through the website and read that one of its purposes was to give us a glimpse into what Fort Worth looked like before settlement. I immediately thought about our readings from Meriwether Lewis and Luther Standing Bear. While Lewis’ writings depict the beautiful natural scenery of the world he encountered, he lacks a certain respect for the land, as highlighted by the ways in which he seems to kill animals just because he can. Instead of taking from the land what he needs, he takes whatever he wants. For instance, he kills a bear not for its meat but for its skin. While Lewis commodifies the land by exploiting its natural resources, Luther Standing Bear takes a more protective stance. He describes his respect for nature and all of its creatures, describing the intricate connection between all living things. He explains how he only took from the land what was absolutely necessary for his own survival. While I think that Luther Standing Bear would appreciate the efforts of the Fort Worth Nature Center, I think that Lewis would not be as understanding. 

After learning about the history of the center and glancing over a map of its layout, we set out down the road a few minutes to our destination – a patch of wooded area that had become overrun with Privet, an invasive species of plant that spreads rapidly due to its berry consumption by birds. We spent the next two hours removing this plant, creating piles to signify our progress. I truly enjoyed this time. It was nice to not only be outside after sitting in a classroom all day, but it was also fun to spend time with my classmates, sometimes talking about random things while other times working side by side in comfortable silence. Learning about Privet made me think about the ways in which ecosystems are so intricately connected. As discussed in our Conservation Photography Handbook, even the smallest of creatures are necessary for life. Emily and I found a type of caterpillar crawling on a branch of Privet we had just removed. Although we relocated this little guy to a nearby tree, I couldn’t help but feel bad for displacing him from his home. Even though this center is making positive efforts to preserve the natural land, I think it is impossible to truly leave no trace. However, we can still strive for perfection by being cognizant of the world around us, including the smallest creatures, and fostering a respect and appreciation for nature.