Reflections on this field work year

Thanks for all the hard work!

I planned to write every three or four days but I took a couple of extra days to finish the semester. This extra time also gave me the chance to reflect on how the field work progressed this year. It’s been a busy semester and a great year.

We began back in September with a long all-day field walk introducing the new students to the preserve and the watershed of the park. After that we began our formal Academic Service-Learning component in October with students from about five classes putting in over 600 hours of supervised field work; we picked it up again in March and April and did another student cumulative total of 153+ hours many of which are described in earlier posts to this blog.

What did we accomplish? and what comes next? We have many tangible outcomes to point to -a more accessible and visitor friendly trail system; dozens of trees that have been rescued from strangling vines, and over 1700 young native tree and shrub plantings that need our TLC this summer. . But I am most moved and encouraged by the intangibles of the project; what the students said to me while they were working or how they showed their own initiative or what they wrote in their reflection papers proves to me that we are on the right track; I could pick up almost any one of their reflective essays and find highlights to share with you but one in particular captured the sense of what many people had to say. In a much abbreviated form here is what one of the students had to say:

“Many students at St. Johns are from the urban city setting. Many of us do not get out and explore the outdoors. I myself am one of those many students. ……We learn about wetlands and forests in geography class. However there is no better way of becoming familiar with nature than to actually go out and see what she has to offer. ……At the beginning of AS_L I just needed to earn some extra credit. However half way into it I actually wanted to do the work. I love the outdoors and I commend a good honest days work and this type of work make you feel good inside………….My partner and I planted trees and I really hope they flourish; every tree is a value to us and should never be taken for granted; …… When I approached Alley Pond Park I was amazed that there was a nature preserve right here in my city. We need a place like this in New York City to keep us in tune with nature. Our efforts will benefit many for the years to come.”

I think this is a sincere and honest reflection that conveys some universal themes expressed by so many of the other students -the value of field work and outdoor education, intergenerational equity, nature in the urban environment, personal satisfaction, team building and working with peers.

The other indication that makes me sure we are on the right track is that more than a few students spoke to me as we finished for the day or for the season; their conversations always went something like this; “hey professor, thanks for the chance to do the field work, it was great, I’ll never forget it; I had no idea that anything like that existed around here; maybe if you have more work to do you can give me a call? I would definitely like to do more and see how things turn out.”

We are definitely on the right track.