January 13th: First Day of Service in Blue Spring State Park

Hello blog followers! Today on Friday the 13th, our 12 man wolfpack had our first day of service. We started this morning by removing invasive sword ferns and trash along the blue spring at Blue Spring State Park. While we worked there we were able to spot many of the 121 manatees counted in the spring run today and watch as they stuck their cute little noses out of the water for air. The Park Ranger we worked with, Katie was an awesome guide and continued to tell all of the park visitors about our group and what we were doing throughout the day. It was clear that our work was much appreciated by visitors of all ages, from Florida and across the United States. 

After we took a short lunch break, we reconvened to start our afternoon activities. We started with a bonding activity, the Human Knot which was completely ridiculous but definitely helped our wolfpack grow closer. Park Ranger Katie gave us machetes and loppers to cut down any shrubs or branches we found that were too close to the cabin areas. We did the same thing along a trail to keep it clear for visitors to enjoy hiking along these wonderful trails. 

Our first day of service at Blue Spring State Park was a great start to our trip. By merely removing invasive species and trash we are quickly realizing how much of an impact we can have on the environment and how easy it can be to help improve the conditions here for wildlife. This is important because we will be able to take this knowledge back to Maryland and inform others of what we have learned. We are all very excited for the next week of service and what other projects we will be participating in!


Later Gators,
   Christine & Olivia

One month to Florida!

I hope everyone is starting to get excited about our trip to Blue Spring State Park, Florida!  While we're there we'll be working with park rangers on service-learning projects geared around biodiversity, the environment, and conservation of it.  Blue Spring State Park is home to lots of native Florida plants and critters, and is actually a designated Manatee Refuge.  While we're there, we're sure to see some of the native population of West Indian manatees that spend the winter in the park.

Prologue

Hello AWB Participants!

This is just a test post for our blog we will be using while in Florida. In here, we will be recording our daily service projects, reflection activities, and overall feelings toward the progression of our trip. Pictures and videos can be uploaded so that our friends and family at home will be able to follow our movement toward a happier, healthier, cleaner, and safer environment in the Blue Spring State Park area.

Hope everyone is getting as excited as I am for our departure... only less than two months away!

See you all soon :)

Kathryn