Recent Articles from FoBR Newsletters
Finding the Woods
by Jeff Burket"Volunteer? You mean, go work, during my summer, for fun? Is that what you mean by volunteer?"
Sure, why not? I am a junior at Osbourn Park High School, in the Center for Environmental and Biological Sciences (CEBS). As part of the program, I decided to volunteer at Friends of Bull Run; it was a good decision. Trust me, there is no "routine" here, and you will get to see all of the aspects of what it is like to work and run an organization like this.
The first day I volunteered here (I volunteered a total of nine days over two weeks), I did not know what to expect. I soon found my answer: the woods. On that day, I was privileged to be able to spend a very long time on a hike, in complete serenity, on the more than 10 miles of trails located just across the road from the Mountain House. Later on, I read and learned about the flora and fauna of the mountain. The bookshelf in Michael's office is amazing, and anybody interested in any aspect of nature can find something there to read, whether it be identifying trees and wildflowers, learning the types of hawks or snakes in the area, finding out what plants have medicinal value or are edible, or what are the best trails along the Appalachian Trail. You will find something to read, and if you are interested in nature, you will love reading it.
The following days brought new work, new experiences, and new insights into how FoBR is run. One day I am out weeding the garden, the next working on a brochure that will be sent out about a future trip to Assateague and Chincoteague. Another day I am hiking to the top of the ridge into a xeric pine-oak/heath woodland to grid off a five meter-square area to do a plant species count. (Even if the only thing about nature you enjoy is hiking, you'll have a great time here, for there is a good bit of hiking involved.) You may also participate in editing newsletters, brochures, and correspondences for FoBR. Variety is definitely a word that can be used to describe a volunteer experience here.
Quickly you will learn about the plants of the area, how to identify them, and how to use the often challenging and confusing guides to identify a wide range of forest plants. Imagine a nearly 500-page book on wildflowers, a book that does not even cover all the species of wildflowers since there are so many, and then traveling out into the field, finding a live specimen and identifying it to the exact genus and species. And then there is the lingo that is involved with identifying plants, such as "whorled," "pinnate," "inflorescence," and "palmate." Sound tricky? It is. But it is also fun and enjoyable. After a while, the problem solving becomes quicker, and it is amazing how the guides allow you to identify the species. And if you think flowers in all their color and variety are hard to identify, imagine a guide, equally as large, used to identify trees. And there is always one of Michael's favorite ways to identify a tree - taste it.
The important thing here is to learn and to have fun, and you will learn a lot from reading texts, observing the outdoors, and from Michael. Also, when you get some spare time, head out into the woods; if you want peace, you will find it out there. Perhaps you'll get lucky like I did just yesterday, and have three deer walk not 20 feet from you. Give Friends of Bull Run a call, and they'll be glad to have your help. Just watch out for the spider webs on the trail and the deer on the road. Running into one of them would not be a good way to start off volunteering.
Jeff is a high school student who became FoBR's first volunteer intern. He wrote this article as a conclusion to his internship.
