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Little Beauty
"Number 1 of a limited batch of 3500"
Blogging from May 3-10th, 2008
For my last week, I set out for the Scottish Highlands to join up with Trees For Life, a non-profit organization I’ve been fond of since the
(no name) Art Group Candle Project 2004 (our environmental beneficiary). They are also the organization from whom I’ve purchased many little tree gifts from. Volunteering with TFL would be an opportunity to do something a little different, working with the earth instead of people. Gettin dirty and doing something out of my comfort zone keeps it all interesting.
About Trees For Life:
Trees for life is an award-winning Scottish charity working to restore the Caledonian Forest to 600 square miles of the Highlands west of Inverness.The distinctive Caledonian Forest community, dominated by Scots pine, is substantially depleted and fragmented. Only 1%!o(MISSING)f the original forest remains and overgrazing by sheep and deer prevents most natural regeneration. These remnants need special care and protection; beyond this, the forest needs to be allowed to expand in area to secure this rich ecosystem for the future. More info... First off, I’d like to start by commending the wonderful and talented e Bond for flying from Philadelphia to join me. E and I met in 1992,
A Lot Of Trees
The limited batch of 3,500! freshman year at Moore College (seems so long ago...because it was!) She had bravely chosen to share the last leg of this year’s adventure with me. We had a few days to catch up and explore some castles, bookstores and of course pubs, but for the most part she worked her dreads off (and this was her vacation!) But most of all a big THANK YOU for sharing this experience wtih me!
A Trees For Life work week can entail a number of things. Examples include; collecting pine cones (for the seeds), tree nursery work, planting trees, stock fencing/tree guards, felling non-native trees, removing fences, wetland restoration, survey/monitoring and tree fertilizing.
Our week was actually planting the trees, Scot’s Pine to be exact, AND coincidentally, home to the
RED SQUIRREL . Our focalizers, Mick and Colin, were both incredibly kind and extremely patient with our lack of knowledge of the Scottish highlands. From the details of the bark of a spruce to the reproduction of fungi, we learned a ton. But it was everyone in the group that had made it very special. There was a good connection between all of us weaving wonderful magic, memories, and humor into our
week.
"Participating in a work week is an educational experience, not only because volunteers learn about ecological restoration but because it is an opportunity to observe nature and learn from the land itself, knowledge that can inform our daily lives" -TFL Website As for the physical work? Let’s see, how can I describe this. Well, it was certainly a challenge! Where’s that line from the website? Oh yes, here it is:
“The work can be physically challenging, sometimes reaching work sites can require long walks over rough terrain so you will need to have a reasonable level of fitness to take part.” Yes. That’s very accurate. The actual planting of a tree is easy, it’s finding the correct soil for it. We booted and wellied our way through swampy trenches and bush to find good homes for the young saplings. We were each given a bag of trees (90). But Mick, Colin and the group were very kind at assuring us that we should take our time and not feel like we had to finish. (e stop planting!) After one week, the nine of us planted had 3,540 Scot’s Pines. Thank goodness the boys were productive. I
was quite slow in planting, naming every one of my trees (If you’re reading this you’ve most likely have a tree named after you.) and wishing them luck with a pep talk which will surely increase their success rate.
The following Saturday we were dropped back off at Inverness at Moyness Guest House (recommended if you're in the area!) We said our sad goodbyes to the group with several hugs and email exchanges but have gained an unforgettable and inspirational experience. Thanks TFL!
And now the week was over and so would be my trip. The 3 flights taking me back to Philadelphia would leave the next morning. The adventure ends here? Don’t think so…
Note: I can not take credit for the majority of the photos! A huge THANK YOU to Rob, Daniëlle, Dennis and e for your photo contributions!
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leslie jane
non-member comment
accessories R US!!!
you gals are awesome!! how (not) surprising that e had her dangly earrings and funky bracelets and necklaces on for the week...she would have it no other way!!!!