We are so thankful for all of our volunteers, but the Thursday Trail Crew holds a special place in our hearts. This loyal and dedicated team worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to keep the preserve in tip top shape. Many of these volunteers have been at Wild Basin longer than the majority of staff. We asked them to write up some of their thoughts on stewardship and volunteering at Wild Basin through the pandemic. Here is what they had to say:
Gary Sertich
I initially trained to become a Wild Basin trail guide in early 2020, but COVID had other ideas before the first school groups arrived. When Niki Lake, then preserve manager, said the grounds would completely close, I remarked to her that if she needed any help during that time to please call. I was delighted to hear from her over the summer, and that is when I met the group of “old timers” Dan, Bruce, and Myke. These guys had been volunteering together for many years maintaining the trails and preserve grounds. I felt privileged to join them. Later we were joined by Skip, who had been in my trail guide class. It is amazing to see how a fastpath can become overgrown or water diverters clogged. However, nothing beats a walk around the preserve, tools in hand, to remedy any of these issues. The visiting public’s safe enjoyment of the preserve is paramount to our mission, along with maintaining a healthy divide so nature can remain relatively untouched. Seeing social trails disappear during the pandemic has been particularly special, and I hope that it remains so now that the preserve has reopened. Now starting my third year of volunteering, I can easily say that as a group, we maintain a great camaraderie, where everyone has input into a project and a sense of humor abounds. That makes every undertaking fun and rewarding, resulting in a preserve kept in its natural state with safe access for all. Finally, we will miss Interim Preserve Manager Terri Siegenthaler as she has spoiled us by fitting in really well as we worked on a plethora of projects. She has a wonderful understanding of all things nature, knows the history of Wild Basin, and she readily shares her knowledge. I am constantly learning new things on all fronts, and frankly, that is what makes the volunteer experience so fulfilling.
Bruce MacKenzie
The volunteers who work at Wild Basin on Thursday mornings have undergone a number of transitions. Personnel have come and gone. We've been called "Land Stewards" or "Volunteer Crew". But the name that has stuck is "that Thursday morning crew". That's my favorite.
After many businesses and activities shut down for the pandemic, Wild Basin was one of the first for me to re-open, albeit on a limited basis. At first, only staff were allowed in, then volunteers, and finally visitors. I found the period with few people on the trails to be interesting and therapeutic. I think Wild Basin itself needed the break. Over the years, we had seen many social trails cause environmental damage as well as spoil the effects of our work to maintain the proper trails. But with the break from so many visitors, nature reclaimed many of the social trails. Wildflowers and grasses filled in bare paths, and the preserve started to look as it was intended, once again.
As a volunteer, my time was spent outdoors maintaining the trails. Even with no visitors, the trails need regular work. It was therapeutic for me to be outside, do physical activity, and interact with the other staff and volunteers who have become good friends. And it was safe. The new protocols and awareness made it so.
As visitors were allowed back in, I heard and saw the same emotional lift in them. They were just glad to be out and about in a safe way - a brief taste of normalcy. It was so gratifying to hear them offer thanks for our work on the trails. Very often there would be visitors from out of town or out of state, and Wild Basin was a surprising gem for them to discover.
As the pandemic eases and operations settle on their new normalcy, I think there will be a greater appreciation for the place that is Wild Basin.
Skip Beaird
My time at Wild Basin has been largely defined by Covid-19. Casting about for some solid volunteer opportunities I stumbled into a training for Wild Basin trail guides. My post retirement explorations thus far had something of a Goldilocks quality. Finding a 'just right' fit takes a little doing. Many volunteer jobs, are designed for large groups, are single anonymous work days, or seem to be largely unimportant activities. In a word, disconnected. So, the trail guide training seemed exciting.
But let me back up a bit. I was never that impressed with Wild Basin and I've had friends involved with it since the early beginnings. It seemed like a small piece of land surrounded by expensive houses and a major highway. I was hopeful it might become part of a larger greenbelt and serve to stop development, but other than being a starting point, no big deal. Besides, the scrub cedar land it represented, the same land I roamed thousands of acres on as a kid, was not that special. Overgrazed, hunted, burned, cleared and abused, again, not significant. Of course, I was wrong. Beauty is in the details.
Our trail guide training took place one morning, and included a hike with Wild Basin Director Barbara Dugelby. My eyes started opening a bit. And then, the magic happened. I completed my first two, 'shadow' hikes with experienced trail guides leading a pack of unruly kids. I'm not sure where I fit in. Was I one of the kids, or a trainee? But I started to see. Toothache tree, Gall wasp, tube worms, and plesiosaurs. Inland seas, faulting, erosion and bear snot. But most importantly, young minds, (and at least one old one) being shown something they might miss. Something magical.
But then, full stop, Covid struck.
The first few months of the pandemic saw me in full shut down. Naturally, all volunteer activities also shut down. Any tenuous connections I was starting to build, were severed. Like many folks, I turned inward. But of course, this quickly got old and once the vaccines were available I started casting about again. Some things were different. I didn't want to return to homeless volunteer activities, not yet. Being outside would be better. I was also interested in the Texas Master Naturalist training which requires volunteer hours. No problem, I thought, that's my goal anyway. I was fortunate to get into the Balcones Canyonlands TMN training class and thoroughly enjoyed the training, albeit, on Zoom. What great folks. I'm so pleased to be a part of such a dedicated group. But Wild Basin had stuck with me. I have conducted a lot of adult training and I have developed my own method of creating workshops. One aspect of this includes going over my lines, looking for areas I need to improve and researching any holes in my knowledge. I started practicing my script as a trail guide and did research. I was often walking down the trail in my mind and pointing out something to imaginary school kids. Can I translate the difference between gymnosperms and angiosperms to a third grader? Maybe just stick to flowers and pollinators. Darn it, oak trees use the wind to pollinate. I had much to learn. So, needing a volunteer gig, I thought I would go back to Wild Basin. It all took some time. Time for the TMN training to start and time to get through to Wild Basin. But finally, Niki e-mailed me about the Thursday work crew. So one day, soon after, I showed up.
I don't remember that first day specifically. But any nervousness I may have felt was soon dissipated. I didn't know quite what to expect but what I found was a strange admixture of serious work ethic, coupled with fun irreverence. Five older men, determined to have fun, being gently led by their den mother. This is what comes to mind, but it misses the point. There was an underlying ethic, a common feeling, a deep commitment, and a sense of communal purpose. They all had found the magic of Wild Basin long before I had. Slowly, I came to know each of my team mates. Remember, I was looking for connection. The longest serving member of the team has been at it fifteen years, the next eight, they have deep knowledge, long history and yet, they warmly welcomed me. There would be a lot to learn. And each work order was met with enthusiasm. Trail trimming, berm building, masking social trails, cleaning signs, cleaning storage spaces; each work day often included a hike on the existing trails or work slightly off the trail. Putting out signs to warn off Christmas tree decorators and cleaning trash along loop 360 was educational. Walking the boundary with Terri, was especially exciting, like going backstage. And, like an unruly kid, I constantly peppered Niki and then Terri, with questions. What's this plant? The answers came patiently. Escarpment cherry is suddenly familiar. I have a lot to learn.
Stewardship, is more than an activity, it's a deep connection, a bridge and a community. It’s a thing of hope. There is something deep here. And it largely goes unspoken. There is no need to say it. It’s what's understood, a quiet glue that binds us together. Yes, we are an irreverent bunch. We laugh at ourselves, each other and the world at large. But there is also quiet reverence. I am hopeful, that soon, some loud school bus of kids who have never been beyond their own backyard can come to Wild Basin. I would like to help them see the magic that abides here. But even if I don't, it’s here.
