Blog Post 6


Fort Worth Nature Center

Working at the Fort Worth Nature Center has been an experience unlike any other. I have done volunteer work in the past, but this put me outside of my comfort zone, allowing me to really grow and get in touch with the natural landscape of Fort Worth. The task at hand was simple: cut down invasive plant species such as privott and bamboo shoots and throw them into the wood chipper. While this may seem mundane, it really was such a rewarding process as we were able to free an area from its prison plants, restoring it to its natural state.

Invasive species are a well known environmental issue that many ecosystems suffer from. Before environmental science became a forefront of study, the consequences of bringing plants and animals from surrounding biosystems were mainly unknown. The biggest issue with this is there are no natural predators to their organisms; therefore, they experience uncontrolled population growth and, ultimately, take over an area they do not naturally inhabit. This unfair competitive advantage depletes resources, such as food sources and growing space, for other species that inhabit the ecosystem.

The people overseeing us volunteers describes that bamboo was originally brought to Fort Worth for the Fort Worth Zoo. They noted that the zoo thought it would be more cost effective to grow it themselves then have it shipped in. The issue is that bamboo is very fast growing and spreads rapidly. What starts as a small grove of shoots can multiple into an entire field in what seems like overnight. Bamboo was introduced to the Nature Center by a nearby neighbor, as they decided to grow some to create a barrier around their house; however, this quickly backfired. Now, we were tasked with tackling the forest of thick bamboo in order to try to combat its invasive effects. 

I will admit, this work was grueling at times, especially when the Texas heat was in full swing. However, overall, I believe everyone in the class found it to be a very rewarding experience as we were physically able to see our hard work transform the landscape every week. The last week we went was specifically my favorite day. It was raining and muddy, but that didn’t stop us. We trekked deep into the forest, shears and saws in hand, and hacked away until Dr. Williams had to tell us to take a break. The wet atmosphere almost made it more surreal as we imagined ourselves in a tropical jungle, slashing away to our next adventure. This entire five week experience was so rewarding, and I believed I learned a lot about the environment as well as learning a little bit about myself and fellow classmates. We are a hard working group of individuals, and I feel very appreciative to have worked with such an amazing group of people both in and out of the classroom. 


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