Branch Hoppers and Roosevelt Elk Calves initiate Spring 2016 service

You've probably heard it quoted: “Timing is everything in life!” That was certainly the case last Sunday as the Branch Hoppers gathered to initiate the service component of the Boys Explorers Club spring 2016 season at Connelly Creek. Their start time - 10:00 am; April shower (downpour, really!) commencement - 9:50 am. It’s a shame we don’t have a photo of mentor Brian and a succession of parents huddling under a raised minivan tailgate to complete service paperwork in a driving rain. Thank you, parents, for your patience and flexibility through what had to be one of the roughest starts to an outing in some time.

After a short walk to the service site, we found ourselves gawking at Reed Canary Grass as tall as

April showers

mentor Brian (I know, really tall!). This invasive plant is quite the fighter. Each of the last several seasons, we’ve stomped down the grass and covered it with bark mulch. And each time we return, so has the grass. Fortunately, we have more than one arrow in our quiver. The long term solution is to deprive Reed Canary Grass of its much loved sun all year around. So, we’ve planted alder trees that will provide shade when fully grown. Until then, we’re engaged in a tug of war with the grass. 

As we began to dig into the pile of bark mulch provided by Bellingham Parks and Rec (with tools provided by the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, or NSEA), the Roosevelt Elk Calves (REC) arrived as if to bolster our resolve in the face of our wily, stubborn adversary. The REC, 9 and 10 years old, are a bit younger than the Branch Hoppers (BH). This puts the BH in the position of role models for the younger boys, a challenge they accepted with gusto. Before long, shovels were scooping, buckets and even garbage cans full of mulch were being ferried to the newly flattened grass, and rakes were spreading mulch. As one of our BEC mottos emphasizes, “Many hands Make Light Work.”

Lopper brigade

A select crew was also working to cut back and uproot the few remaining Himalayan Blackberry bushes in the “front” part of the service area. It was about this time when a park neighbor came around to thank us for our work and to ask us to leave some of the foliage as a screen for the back of her property. This we were happy to do because we could see how that helped her and because the Bellingham Parks representatives have stressed with us the importance of limiting our efforts to the park boundaries. What at first might seem like a good-hearted deed can, viewed from a different perspective, cause unforeseen issues. In BEC, we endeavor to act with integrity, to “Walk Your Talk” (see Mottos); in this case, we focused on balancing our desire to pursue the grass and blackberries to every corner of that parcel of land with the needs and desires of the park neighbors and the Parks Department. As members of their explorers club group, these boys are practicing behaviors that will serve them well as adult members of our larger society. Everything is connected; sensing the issues and opportunities associated with that relationship is a sign of maturation for these boys. 

Through lunch and water breaks, the BH and REC groups continued to attack the mulch pile. Come

Impressive effort

early afternoon and we realized they were going to deplete the entire heap! Such industry! 

Well, as mentioned above, timing is everything. The shower at the start of the day meant we were working while wet, an additional challenge we accepted in gratitude for the nourishing rain. Now, timing was more in our favor. The bulk of our work was finished with time for some fun. The Branch Hoppers, who you’ll remember had started first, channeled their creative energies to an impromptu game they called “Double spiders web tag”. Think Capture the Flag….and more. What really struck me was their creativity and fun approach. It’s a game that may never be played again, but it looked fun.

Giving thanks!

The Roosevelt Elk Calves turned their attention to the remaining gnarly blackberries toward the back of the site. Even after having worked for a few hours on the mulch pile, the REC continued their enthusiasm for this, one of the most physically demanding tasks in service. In fact, they even figured out how to make if fun by competing for the biggest root. 

Both groups showed once again their positive attitude and inner strength in their approach to this task. The grass and the blackberries are worthy adversaries and neither is very good for spawning salmon. The effort is worthy and your explorers are more than up to the task. Look here for more photos from our outing. 

Roosevelt Elk Calves and Branch Hoppers do Service at Connelly Creek

The sun was not only shining but also full of warmth as the Branch Hoppers and Roosevelt Elk Calves circled up in the large field adjacent to the Connelly Creek service site. For most of the boys this was their first look at the site since our efforts the previous Fall. We all took a moment to be proud of our work last Fall and recognize the work that other Explorers groups had already done this season. After these moments of reflection and recognition of our work it was time to turn our attention to our task today.

In our large circle we talked about using the tools with intention and keeping in mind blood circles and safety as we worked. After discussing the tools we moved on to talking about what exactly needed to get done today. The main work that needed to be done today was to move the rest of the mulch out over the flattened Reed Canary Grass and continue to cut back the black bearies that seemed to continually grow closer and closer to our site. Despite two other groups putting in many hours of hard work the day before the pile of mulch still stood tall.

Armed with buckets, rakes, and shovels the Roosevelt Elk Calves and the Branch Hoppers got to work on the mulch. While part of the boys shoveled the other part moved the large buckets of mulch out to the places it was needed. This effort took teamwork and planning since each bucket needed; one or two Explorers to fill it, three or four Explorers to move it and another couple to spread the emptied mulch. Both the Branch Hoppers and Roosevelt Elk Calves showed great work ethic and group coordination as they moved the mulch. After a solid hour and a half of work the mulch pile was flattened and we all stood, sweating, as we admired our work.

The boys ran after Steve as he led the way down to Connelly Creek for a refreshing head dunk in the Creeks chilly water. Reinvigorated the boys came back ready for the next task. Our next project was to begin clearing the back part of our service site of the invasive blackberry vines. The boys got to work lopping the vines, stacking the vines and moving them into large trash bags. Again the boys quickly figured out the most efficient assembly line for this task and coordinated it gracefully.

Soon it was time for the Branch Hoppers to leave Connelly creek. After bidding the Branch Hoppers farewell the Roosevelt Elk Calves turned to the task of gathering all the remaining blackberry clippings into piles to put into trash bags. blackberry is an incredibly resilient plant that can replant itself from just one clipping so the job of cleaning up all these scrapes was very important. The Roosevelt Elk Calves buckled down for the last bit of work to clean the service site before we left it.

Our day ended with some time to just play and explore the site that we had been working so hard on. The hard work is important, but so is connecting with the place your are doing the service work at. Laughter filled the site as the Roosevelt elk calves ran through the creek; jumping along the bank, and sometimes into the creek, to see what was around the next corner. Parents be sure to stop by connelly creek sometime and have your Explorer show you all the work they have been doing, it is really impressive. Thank you Explorers for you hard work this weekend! Be sure to look at our Branch hopper photo gallery and Roosevelt Elk Calves photo gallery for more pictures.    

Service at Connelly Creek with the Branch Hoppers & Grey Fox Kits

The Branch Hoppers arrived at Connelly Creek ready for a day of service. As we circled up we saw that something was different about these Explorers. Not only were they considerably taller, each boy had a knife attached to his belt. As a mentor who has known they boys for quite awhile it was a little nerve wracking and also very exciting. Walking over to our service site the Branch Hoppers were eager to continue our culture of stalking the group that would be serving alongside us. Once we got to the site the boys spread out, looking for the perfect hiding spots. Grouping back up the mentors passed out Red Cedar blanks for carving spoons, butter knives, and chopsticks. The group spent about fifteen minutes carving before we snuck back to our hiding spots.

From our hiding spots we could hear the Grey Fox Kits mingling and climbing around in the creek. As we patiently waited the Black-Capped Chickadees hopped from branch to branch around our heads. As the Grey Fox Kits walked to the service site the Branch Hoppers emerged from every nook and cranny along the trail. Grouping up in a large circle we passed out wood blanks to the Grey Fox Kits and shared with the Explorers that both groups started carving this season, and that it’s important to build a group culture around respectful and intentional tool usage. Our Explorers Mentor Apprentice for the day, Logan Bartz, introduced himself and with a quick round of names we got to work.

Our task for the day was to clear the Himalayan Blackberry from areas that we had mulched previously. Also to trim back the Reed-Canary Grass growing under the Red Alders so we could plant Dogwood and Salmonberry in its place. Analyzing the site we noticed the Reed-Canary Grass had grown back after we had mulched it, but only half as high! There were also new Blackberry shoots in the areas that we mulched previously.

Mustering their strength the Explorers put in a great team effort with such excellent attitudes. After serving Connelly Creek for multiple seasons they knew what needed to be done. Raking, chopping, shearing, lopping, and cutting the debris into small pieces they worked cohesively and efficiently. The group was not daunted by the invasive plant’s ability to spring back and overtake the work they had done. They found that the Blackberry stalks were easily identifiable in the mulch and the shovels uprooted them easily. They also noticed that the Willows we had been guarding over the last three seasons were getting tall enough to shade out the grass.

Through service work the boys are learning a very important lesson about slowly working towards a goal and aiming for long term healthy stability rather than quick solutions. Connelly Creek calls the boys to wrestle with problem solving and accept that their work may take years. Together we are learning that it is okay to fail because it’s all part of the learning process. In spring season we tried to plant green Willow shoots that we harvested and this season we found every one of them dead with Reed-Canary Grass growing up through their mulch rings. After speaking to Rae Edwards of the Parks Department we learned that we needed to cardboard underneath the mulch and around the base of the plants to kill the Reed-Canary grass once and for all.

Our work today was to prepare the site for this new strategy and it was such a pleasure to work with both of the groups in the sunshine. After a solid hour and a half of work the group decided to take a lunch break. In our opening meeting we told the Explorers that we would not be using our knives during the service project, as it was not what we were there to do. Over lunch a few boys pulled out their knives and started carving their Cedar blanks into butter knives. It was a chain reaction and soon there were twenty Explorers carving. As mentors we debated stopping them and redirecting their focus towards service, but the group was modeling such excellent safety and responsibility that we decided to run with it and have a half-hour carving session.

Once the time was up we set down our knives and got back to work for a strong finish. The group attacked the Blackberry hedge, cutting it back all the way to the park boundary and finished trimming the grass under the Alders. We spent the rest of the time bagging Blackberries, raking piles of grass, and picking up every clipping that we dropped along our way. I have to commend the boys again for being such excellent workers and expecting nothing in return except for the satisfaction of a job well done. These boys are growing into fine young men and are meeting the new responsibilities that come with their deepened role with their communities and relationship with the land.

We ended the day with a closing meeting in our individual groups. We snacked on apples and gave thanks for a wonderful day of sun and service! The mentors thanked the boys for kick starting our service outings with such a great start. These Explorers are nourishing the land and restoring the quality of the watershed and salmon runs for generations to come. It’s important to constantly remind them of this and recognize their work. The mentors would also like to thank Logan for coming out and EMAing. He is setting a strong example of what it means to give to a community and modeling the rewards to sticking with the Boys EC culture and developmental journey. He meets the boys with acceptance, care, and patience, always keeping their best in mind. Thanks Logan!

For more pictures from the day please visit the Grey Fox Kit's and Branch Hopper's photo galleries.  

Branch Hopping our Service Site with the Wet Sponge Explorers

Branch Hoppers gathered for a sopping wet November service day this Saturday.  Connelly Creek was rushing three feet higher than usual, the clouds were moving fast, the temperature had dropped, and all our rain gear was fully donned.  A great blue heron flew back and forth over us as we circled up for an opening meeting and considered our missions for the day. We were here for service, and we were here as a group of full on Explorers. Explorers come out in all weather. The land is in need of service in all conditions. Wet and cold weather challenges can be fun and empowering if we respond to them intelligently and courageously. We checked in with each Explorer and made sure that we had all come prepared. Then we gathered up our tools and made our way to our service site.

Our EMA, Marcus, was a part of the Four Shields group to come up with a service plan for this area. That was more than a year ago, and the land has dramatically transformed since. Marcus showed the boys some of the tools that we use with the oldest group and explained what kind of skills they would need in order to use them. We followed him to some blackberries and took a good look at the plant. We assessed the area, then decided what the best tactic would be for the tools that we had and the work that needed to be done.

But before we dove into the work it was necessary to make sure that everyone started with a good core body temperature. That meant a lot of running around was in order! We played a few games that got us huffing and puffing and red in the face.  Then we reconvened and figured out an organized way to dig into our service work. Some boys chose the shovels and some chose the loppers. Two stations were designated for the respective tasks, and we began. Shovelers were quick to discover some interesting materials underground. Trash, Blackberry roots, old tools, and a full on skeleton! (Explorers last year found the front end of a car!!!) We took a look at the skull, and considered what a skull teaches us about the animal. Explorers might remember what we decided this animal’s dominant senses were and how we could tell that from the skull. Perhaps he will remember what animal we guessed that it was.

Nearby, other Explorers along with Marcus were carving deep tunnels into the blackberry and reed canary grass. Big advancements were made and it was clear that everyone was doing some real work. Marcus had shifted over to a spot where the blackberries stood nearly 15 feet tall and was making some good headway when he lost his machete in the brambles. This became a moment for a great team effort. Find Marcus's tool! Explorers came together and made quick work of the thick blackberry bramble that happened to be smothering out a young red alder. We recognized that this was a great moment to do some double service and help the landscape as we helped Marcus. When the tool was finally recovered, we recognize that we had done a considerable amount of workoverall.

Simultaneously, it became apparent that the most important job we had before us was to make sure that our body temperatures stayed up. A few explorers were getting chilly, and one was quite cold. Throughout the day we had made sure to drink hot beverages, to wear our hats, and to think about how to stay dressed in appropriate layers. But these lessons really take hold when one is out in the elements. There is no finer teacher in the landscape itself. So, feeling the cold in our bones, and recognizing that we had done good work, it was time to get that body heat up again.

We drank more hot things and then started out on some animal forms. We ran back and forth in different animal styles with increasing challenges.  We crawled and hopped and ran and waddled as fast as we could. That got us huffing and puffing. Then some big open space running games were in order. Deer Oh Deer and Capture the Flag left us feeling perky and warm. Boys all learned quite a bit more about how to navigate wet conditions and how to harness their own internal heat. The land was graced with some very helpful work, and we all ended up in good spirits at the end. This was a fantastic day, especially for the Branch Hoppers Explorers. They are ready for challenges like this, and it is wonderful to see how brilliantly they rise to the occasion.  Great job, all you Explorers! Thanks so much, parents, for your enduring support! Thank you to that wonderful land and to the salmon who are finally making their way up the creek after so many decades.

Don't forget to check out pics from our outing in her photo gallery.

Stewardship Exploration at Larrabee State Park with the Branch Hoppers

Last outing was a make-up after we were getting pummeled with snow in mid-April. Less than one month later, Branch Hoppers enjoyed a service outing without a single cloud in the bright blue sky when they got together at Larrabee State Park to do some service work!

Though we were supposed to plant some natives in an area where we had previously pulled English Ivy, we changed the plans because those plants weren’t available at the time we showed up for our service project. As such we focused on connections with our environment, did some impromptu service where it was needed, and explored the idea of stewardship as we toured different service sites along the trail to Clayton Beach.

A big thank you goes to Marcus, a member of the oldest group (Firestalkers) and our Explorers Mentoring Apprentice, for volunteering your afternoon with us. We appreciate your efforts and mentoring during our time together. Boys definitely benefited from having another mentor around and will most certainly ask you to carve them pointy sticks in the future. You better keep your carving skills on point!

During opening meeting we talked a lot about connections. We each chose an element of the ecosystem and clasped hands with the person who we felt best connected with us. Please ask your Explorer what he was during that connection activity and see if he remembers to what (or who) he was connected. In the end Explorers unraveled into a giant circle in which everyone was an important link.

As we walked toward our previous ivy-pulling service site, we came across some another area that needed some help. So we went straight to work and kindly removed the English Ivy from some trees. We also learned about Geranium robertianum (aka Stinky Bob). It has pinkish flowers and it is a bit out of balance in Larrabee State Park. Branch Hoppers pulled some that as well. We highlighted the importance of proper plant identification and looked carefully at the differences between Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa) and Holly (Genus: Ilex). Please ask your Explorer if he can recall (or maybe draw) the differences.

Because plants simply grow where their seeds are deposited, we are veering away from the term “invasive.” Instead, we are sharing with Explorers that these plants crowd out native plants and don’t share the space well as we emphasize the importance of a balanced ecosystem. The same is true of the word “weeds.” By changing our language, we withhold from labeling plants as evil or good and it helps us focus on a right intention while doing the service work of pulling living plants. As Steve says, a weed is a word used to describe plants for which we haven’t yet found a use. We invite you to join us in this dialogue!

In our subsequent hike Branch Hoppers surveyed different types service projects. We saw where plants had been pulled and others planted. We saw where a trail had been moved and designated clearly in order to prevent erosion. Explorers were also quick to point out the fences that had been erected to prevent hikers from falling off steep, cliffside trails and even suggested rebuilding a damaged fence. We also saw where the Girls Explorers Club had re-built a bridge over troubled (and muddy) water.

Boys were itching to play a game and we found good terrain to re-open our love of Spiders Web. Explorers asked that Calvin be the spider again and Forest also volunteered to be the second spider as we did our best to move slowly and blend in without getting sent back to the web.

These boys are getting to know each other better and better each outing. We mentors recognize that they have a lot of growing to do individually and together. They are starting to read each other’s patterns and are quick to interject themselves into others’ behaviors. This is great for building close friendships! It is also tricky because boys are figuring out where and how they fit into the group so there are likely to be communication problems and differences in. Mentors are excited for facilitating these experiences for the Branch Hoppers and we hope that they stay willing to be open-minded as we find the way together.

Discovering we were late, we hurried back to the parking lot for our closing meeting and a Circle of Thanks. Explorers, thank you for surveying different service opportunities. You have the power to do this work and we will introduce you to the Connelly Creek restoration site next fall! Parents, thank you for your support and for patiently waiting while we rushed back to meet you. Your consideration is very much recognized.

Please sign up for summer camp if you haven’t already and be prepared for our final outing of the season on June 16th at Sehome Arboretum. And don’t forget to see more pictures of this outing in the photo gallery!

Service with the Branch Hoppers at Larrabee State Park

The Branch Hoppers deepened their experience in Explorers’ Club by doing service at Larrabee State Park. Though the rain threatened to fall during the outing, Explorers stayed dry until the end of the day when the skies finally loosened up their hold on the clouds.

Before embarking on the service project, we immediately reviewed our camouflage knowledge with an activity. Dave was hiding in a snowberry thicket and Explorers had to scrutinize the area until they found him. It was a good opportunity for sharpening our awareness.

Then we talked about service and why it is an important activity. Explorers mentioned how the land cares for us by providing food, medicine, and materials for shelter. It only made sense that we should care for the land in return. 

We also understood that the ivy we were going to pull isn’t a “bad” plant. It is just growing in the wrong place at the wrong time. It causes an imbalance in the ecosystem and we were trying to restore a healthier balance.

On our way to the service area, we played games of Hide in various places. This gave us to opportunity to practice “breaking up our image” in different settings. Ask your Explorer what this means!

Matt showed us the focus of the day: English Ivy. He explained what it looks like and how even the smallest bit could re-grow an entirely new plant. It was vital for us to do a complete and accurate job in our service.

Also important was that this is the place where Explorers, both Boys and Girls groups, have been coming for seven years to start their journey of service. In doing our work, we joined the rich tradition of Explorers’ Club groups, past and present of giving back to the land.

Explorers pulled and tugged and dug and ripped at the ground! They got small leaves and deep, thick roots as well. Explorers moved from the small hill over to the “mother lode” as they worked alongside mentors and each other to get a formidable amount of ivy in only one hour!

In picking up even the small pieces, we practiced the motto, Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow. With deliberate action we did a good job in healing the land. Explorers learned that their hands are valuable tools and that they have power at their fingertips. They also discovered the essence of teamwork with two or more pulling on the same roots to fully eradicate some hard-fast vines.

After a feeling of accomplishment we took the last chunk of time to enjoy the fruits of our labor by appreciating the land that we worked hard to serve. Thus we explored the beach as the high tide line lapped at our ankles and the edge of the Chuckanut sandstone formations.

We practiced the motto, Stretch Your Edge during our Sit Spot. This is a paramount practice in Explorers’ Club. Ask your Explorer what he remembers form his spot. Boys may have been a bit unsettled at first to have some quiet time to themselves. But they found peace in the natural world and used their time to reflect on the day and observe their surroundings.

We practiced, Attitude of Gratitude, and all shouted a big “Thank You!” towards the water for all of the combined thanks we felt that day. We scampered up the stairs and back to our parents as the raindrops started to fall bigger.

Explorers, Thank you for giving back to the land. This is a good base point to consider future service. Parents, thank you for the support and encouragement. Don’t forget to check the photo gallery for other pictures of our outing. See you next outing!