Activity 4-1: Care for the Park
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Motivation
Once you have started to build relationships with the park's inhabitants, I hope that you are moved to care for them. The concept of reciprocity is central to many indigenous cultures. Recognizing the many gifts we receive from our more-than-human relatives, we are obligated to return that caring. In the process, we ensure that the ecosystem can continue to care for us. We chase down an urban tumbleweed, in the form of a plastic grocery bag doing lazy somersaults across the frosty grass.
March 1, 2016 |
Recycling and trash bins at Como Park. Photo by Tracy Kugler.
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Things to Try
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Pick up Litter
One of the simplest things you can do to care for the park is to keep it free of litter. It can be as easy as carrying a bag, and perhaps gloves, on your walks and picking up stray cans, candy wrappers, and other items. If possible, be sure to put recyclables in an appropriate bin, either in the park or at home.
You can also join (or help organize) group efforts. For example, many cities have designated clean-up days that provide supplies and collection services. Or get a group of friends together for a game of "litter bingo." |
Pull Weeds
If the park has flower gardens or wildflower patches, chances are there are more weeds than staff to pull them. You can help keep the beds from getting overgrown by removing weeds. Just be sure to only tackle plants you know don't belong. Volunteer with the Parks Department
City parks departments often offer volunteer opportunities for both one-time events and on-going projects. For example, the Saint Paul Parks Department has opportunities for prairie restoration, harvesting seeds from native plants, and serving as seasonal stewards for particular parks and gardens. |
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Resources
Plogging - The term "plogging" originated as a combination of the Swedish words for jogging and picking up litter. The now-global movement organizes events, offers resources, and helps track activities. Local Parks Department - Your local parks department web page probably has information about volunteer opportunities. Searching for the name of your city and "parks volunteer" should get you to the right place. For those in the Twin Cities: Saint Paul Natural Resources Volunteers Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board Volunteering |
Suggested Reading
Braiding Sweetgrass chapter: "Mishkos Kenomagwen: The Teachings of Grass" - Using a structure modeled on a scientific paper, Kimmerer tells the story of one of her graduate students who studied the response of sweetgrass to traditional Indigenous harvesting. A key finding is that sweetgrass harvested using practice that are careful to not take too much fares better than sweetgrass that is not harvested at all. This finding ruffles the feathers of some Western academics who fail to see the possibility for people to have beneficial relationships with their ecosystems. This assumptions that humans can only harm the rest of nature grows out of cultures of abuse and exploitation. But the wisdom of cultures rooted in reciprocity recognizes the potential, indeed the need, for mutual care. |