Upper-Schoolers Explore, Rebuild Great Outdoors

In February, a group of 12 Upper-Schoolers traveled to the desert town of Shoshone, California, for an Environmental and Outdoor Education (EOE) Eco Service trip that sought to improve habitats affecting a few endangered species. 

 

Working in conjunction with the Amargosa Conservancy and Outdoor Link LLC, students completed meaningful hands-on projects. Eleventh-grader Alex Frye; 10th-graders Josh Bembo, Nico Gordon, Jalen Mathis, Kali McKillen, Simon Mondry, and Liz Stewart; and ninth-graders Kate Gershwin, Thevi Jean-Louis, Jasmine Javaheri, Taj Lalwani and Jack Welch received 20 hours of community service for the trip, which took place from Feb. 14-18.

 

The group spent two days chopping, digging, raking and clearing a riparian zone of invasive plants to prepare the site for the planting of three-square bulrush, a critical habitat for the highly endangered rodent species Amargosa vole. The site is also home to the endangered Amargosa pupfish, thought to be extinct until the mid-1980s. 

 

Students also spent a day cutting and clearing invasive tamarisk trees from the banks of the Amargosa River. The presence of tamarisk trees changes the salinity of the soil, which prevents native trees from growing there, adversely impacting the native habitat of endangered birds such Least Bell’s Vireo and the southwestern willow flycatcher. 

 

In addition to visible and tangible progress in clearing the Amargosa vole site, EOE Chair Katrina O’Brien said highlights from the trip included “watching students gain confidence in their abilities and strength and seeing them learn to work efficiently and as a team,” and hearing a student say that she “was born to do this work.”

 

“The students were both challenged and inspired by the work, which for us is a sign of a successful trip,” Katrina added.