03/06 FW Nature Center: Day 3



Reflecting on our third day of habitat restoration at the Fort Worth Nature Center, I found great fulfillment in the progress we made on Thursday. In past visits it felt like we weren't actually making a dent in the privet, but this time we most certainly did! After clearing the entire area near the sign and moving over to the second lot, it was clear we were making a difference. It's amazing what we can get done with 12 people hard at work! 

This reminded me of the starfish story that I heard from our student council president my freshman year of high school. It goes like this: there was a young boy walking along the beach throwing starfish back into the ocean that had washed up from a big storm. A grown man came up to him, gestured to miles of seashore with hundreds of starfish, and said, "What are you doing? You will never make a difference." The young boy picked up a single starfish, threw it back into the ocean, and said "Look, I made a difference for that one."

I have always been fond of this story because it reminds me that we can all make a difference by having a positive effect on even just one person. Sometimes that is the most impactful difference. So how does this tie into habitat restoration? Even when it feels like slow and low impact work, any amount we are able to clear in the 2 hours we are there really does make a difference. It allows them to be able to do a prescribed burn in the future and restore the beautiful mesa. Happy to make a difference for an important place to our community!

(PS: I included a picture of a beautiful sunset from my time in Oklahoma—my home state—this weekend)

Comments

  1. williams.dan76March 11, 2025 at 11:32 AM

    Thanks for this blog post. I liked the starfish story. I still maintain my optimistic belief that one person can make a difference, and I think we are making a difference in the struggle to subdue privet. I liked your sunset photo, especially the mirror reflections.

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