Earth Day

Saturday was my final project at Bend in the River. This program has been a long but rewarding experience for me through the Bennion Center at the University of Utah. I guess I should give a brief explanation for those of you who don't know.

Bend in the River is an ecological preservation site situated on the west side of downtown Salt Lake. For the past year, I have worked to maintain the natural landscape of this two-acre plot of land. It took a lot of hours of individual work over the summer and into the school year. Probably my largest responsibility was coordinating the various service projects throughout the year. Some went better than others, but I can definitely say that I learned so much from these projects, both in terms of ecological stewardship and managing large volunteer projects.

Anyway, I helped to host the Earth Day project at the Bend this Saturday. It was very much bittersweet. I have to say that there are many things that I won't miss, like the constant weeding in the heat of summer and hardly any volunteers showing up to one of the largest projects of the year. At the same time, I have grown very attached to the Bend in the River. I'll be honest; it's hard for me to let go of this program. But I know there are other important things coming up in my life that would keep me from leading this project to its fullest potential. I just have to remind myself of everything else I'll be doing, and remember that I always have the opportunity to continue volunteering there in the future.