Volunteer Day 1 - Weed Removal

On Friday morning, I drove to Nicholasville with my car packed with other volunteers from the University of Kentucky. The crisp fall air welcomed us when we arrived at Wolf Run, which was already humming with activity. The animals seemed to sense the change in seasons as well, because they were running and playing, coming up to the fences to welcome new visitors, and creating their own melodies with their barks, meows, and other noises. 

One of the enclosures covered by trees, shrubs, and weeds.

Upon arrival, the volunteer coordinator, Savannah, greeted us and gave us our tasks for the day. Because wolf run is a fairly large property, it can be hard to manage the grass and weeds that constantly climb the enclosure fences and walkways. When the enclosures become overgrown, not only does it become more challenging to get in and out to access the animals, feed them, and care for them, but it also become harder to see into the enclosures for guests, volunteers, and staff alike. My job, along with my other group members, was to pull the weeds from outside these enclosures. Right away, each of us set to work, focusing on one enclosure area. 

While the air was cold on the top of the hill, our work made us warm and I enjoyed being able to focus on the task at hand. Volunteering and doing something as simple but necessary as pulling weeds was a nice way to take a break from all of the more complex, abstract assignments I have to complete each day for classes. It was relaxing and fulfilling to be outside and focused on a common goal, and at the end of the day I had a sense of accomplishment for making the enclosure's fence more presentable, as seen in the picture below. 

The finished section of fencing, clear of the large trees and obstructive bushes.

The remains of the tree and shrubs. 

The first weeds to go were the more grass-like plants, and were fairly easy to pull up. Next came the tougher plants, such as burrs and wildflowers. At one point, Bridgid got over a dozen burrs stuck in her hair. Needless to say progress on the enclosures had to take a momentary pause while we helped extricate the pods from her hair. At first, the task of weed pulling did not look to be a strenuous one, because the majority of the plants were grass-like and easy to remove. Once we had stripped the chain link fences of the majority of the plants, though, several larger, stronger plants remained that had gone unnoticed initially. Unfortunately, Wolf Run does not own any sharpened pruning tools, so we were forced to struggle with dull cutting scissors against a small, but surprisingly strong tree. The tree was woven through the chain link fence, so it was nearly impossible to get a good angle for trimming it back, but it was also far too strong to just pull out of the ground. Finally, I was able to cut the tree into more manageable sections and pull the pieces through the fence. The more laborious task of removing the tree definitely warmed me up, but it also left me feeling accomplished and helpful. 

After finishing most of the area we had each been assigned, we packed up and headed back to campus, refreshed and energized for the remainder of our classes that day. I enjoyed the work we did at Wolf Run pulling weeds and cleaning up the facility. It left me with a sense of accomplishment and feeling that I had contributed to a cause that was needed and appreciated.