Service-learning encounter in Mecklenburg County Park

I used to solely associate service-learning with volunteering whenever I thought about it. going out into the community and helping out without any hope of financial reward. When I heard about the service-learning requirement for this biology class, I assumed I could simply go out and work a few hours for an organization doing cleanup. But after reviewing the project’s rubric, I was able to better comprehend what was expected of me. I came to understand that service-learning is more than simply doing something for free; it’s also about learning from the experience, getting a deeper comprehension of certain subjects, and getting a wider picture of previously learned material. I worked with the Mecklenburg county park and recreation department as part of my service-learning project in light of this.

Nearly 20,000 acres of parkland are preserved and kept in good condition by the Mecklenburg county park and recreation. The Division of Nature Preserves and Natural Resources is one of their many divisions. The 1993 establishment of the Division of Nature Preserves and Natural Resources strives to maintain and conserve the county’s general biodiversity as well as the parks designated as Nature Preserves. They want to preserve the county’s natural landscapes and biological resources while also offering chances for outdoor enjoyment, nature-based programming, and environmental education. Along with conserving natural ecosystems like bottomland hardwood forests and native grasslands, they help restore habitats for rare and endangered plant species.

Grants, contributions, fees from outdoor recreation and environmental education services, as well as Mecklenburg County property taxes, are used to pay for them.

I first got in touch with them after seeing a flier for a project called “weed warriors,” which offered a chance to interact with people and the natural world while assisting in the eradication of unwanted plants. I accepted, however, since they needed assistance at a garden, and I ended up working at the Ezell Farms Community Gardens as a result. When I got there, it was more like a real farm than what I had imagined—it was more like a tiny garden. Each plot was assigned to a separate individual, who cultivated crops there. Together, they all took care of the farm as a whole. I was given the assignment, along with other volunteers, to clean up and weed 3 especially overgrown areas. The plots had gotten overrun with spreading plants that resembled tomatoes, pigweed, and other types of weed since the owner of the plots had not been able to visit the garden in some time.

Unwanted plants, such as weeds, will develop when a garden is not properly cared for and will compete with the other plants for scarce resources. The environment would be considerably more favorable and there would be less competition for the beneficial plants if it were possible to regularly eliminate these weeds. In order to provide targeted plants the most growing room and nutrients, weeding is crucial. It is crucial because an excess of weeds on a farm or in a garden raises the risk of hidden pests and illnesses that might harm the crops. In contrast to the untended plot, the other garden plots contained a variety of flourishing plants and less weeds. The abandoned patch turned into a breeding place for rats as well as weeds. It became necessary to clean up the plot since these rats would later become a menace to the other plots. As we cleansed the area, many pest species were also discovered in the soil. We had to dig up the plant roots, pull them out of the ground, and put them into a wheelbarrow in order to clean the plot. For each of the plots we were tasked with cleaning, we followed these steps. The other adults on the farm warned us that it is crucial to pay attention to the roots of the undesired plant while we were clearing. This was due to the fact that weeds cannot be removed by simply chopping off the plant’s stem and discarding the root. If the roots are totally uprooted as opposed to merely being chopped off, a weed would be less likely to come back or would take longer to do so.

The many roots and stems I saw on the farm were a significant aspect of the plants that I could connect to a lesson in class. The tomato-like plant we removed spread out in stolons, but the pigweed had upright stems and thorns that pricked quite a bit. The pigweeds had extremely branching, reddish taproots, but the majority of the roots were advective and dispersed. The adventitious rooted stolons developed in groups and were extremely difficult to eradicate. We had to dig up a single large root with shovels before cutting the stolons apart with shears. The pigweeds, which developed as separate plants and needed more care because of their prickly stem, were simpler to pull out. After studying about roots in class, it was even more fascinating to see how various plants coexisted on the same plots while having completely diverse root systems and stems. I came to the conclusion that their different rates of development were a strategy for using the resources they shared to the fullest. The alternating oval-shaped leaves of the pigweeds, which grew vertically and had easy access to the sun, contrasted with the somewhat bigger leaves of the tomato-like plants, which were on the ground and had other plants rising above them.

Weeds are infamous for growing anywhere and whenever they like, and crops nearly always suffer as a result of this propensity. Weeds are a big nuisance and a problem for farmers in agriculture because they compete with crops for nutrients, sunshine, and water. Even worse, these weeds act as breeding grounds for other pests that endanger the development of the nearby plants, killing them and causing farmers to lose money. Environmental weeds are undesirable because they not only pose a threat to crops but also to our beaches, bushlands, and rivers, endangering the health of the ecosystem as a whole. Additionally, their invasion results in the demise of local plants as well as often the animals, birds, insects, and other organisms that rely on them. The local biodiversity would then continue to diminish as a consequence of this loss.

Every nation has its own native plant species, and sometimes when one or more of those species is altered or introduced, the ecological balance and total biodiversity may be thrown off. Environmental weeds are considered to be one of the main hazards to the natural environment in Australia, particularly invasive species, which are almost invariably foreign plants. Nearly all of Australia’s native vegetation communities have either already been invaded by alien species or are at risk of being overrun by them, which might alter the structure, species composition, frequency of fires, and abundance of native communities. Since weed growth is often difficult to manage, the alien species would start to outcompete the local species and eventually take over the region. Consequently, the region’s ecology and composition would be prone to change. Since these invasive plants are so good at surviving and dominating wherever they find themselves, controlling them would be almost difficult. Weeds have a strong tendency to grow in abundance within a short period of time, much as the overgrown plots I assisted in clearing, which had been neglected for just approximately 4-5 months. They can adjust to any situation, which contributes to this in part.

Herbicide usage and hand weeding are the two most often employed methods of eradicating these invasive plants. Weeding is far more prevalent in small gardens, whereas pesticide spraying is the quickest approach to eradicate undesirable plants in bigger areas. Stem injections are another method of weed control. These chemical management methods, however, often degrade the soil’s pH and contaminate the crops that are produced there. This has an impact on the people who eat these crops. Because of this, cleaning the soil by hand removal or crowning is the safest method for getting rid of weeds.

Weed growth is an unavoidable aspect of our environment. Even though they are nasty, weeds do offer certain advantages. Nature uses weeds to cover bare soil. An exposed soil surface is susceptible to erosion and loss of organic nutrients. The development of native weeds aids in the replenishment of organic matter, the restoration of soil life, the absorption, conservation, and recycling of soluble nutrients that would otherwise leach away, the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the provision of habitat for insects and other animals. For grazing animals, weeds serve as a food source as well.

Weeds can’t be entirely eliminated, but their harm may be lessened. At the Ezell farm, individuals take care to regularly pull out weeds as they develop, and they also scatter stones along bare roads where they may spread. The roots of these weeds must also be taken into account since any plant that has its roots left in the ground has a good possibility of growing again. Mulching also effectively protects the soil surface from exposure, which inhibits the growth of weeds. It is crucial to understand that human migration is the most common source of the introduction of new plant species into an area where they eventually take control. One strategy to lessen the likelihood of invading species is to take care not to establish anything alien that may subsequently provide a problem for native flora.

When I was a child, my grandparents had a farm. I recall my grandfather regularly visiting the property and selecting little plants that later proved to be weeds. I am able to comprehend weeds as plants that are as unwanted and harmful as they are beneficial thanks to this service-learning exercise. Weeds will always grow, and if proper care is not taken, they may become quite troublesome. Because of this, it is crucial for society as a whole to comprehend the many plants in our environment, both the good and the bad. In order to create a greener world, we should pay great attention to our gardens and fields, take the time to plant helpful trees, and leave less space for undesirable weeds.