Parks and People

2nd Round officially began almost two weeks ago, and our short project before DC has been in full-swing.

We’re working for an organization known as Parks and People Foundation in Baltimore, MD. The main mission is to create a greener Baltimore by increasing tree canopy, cleaning out invasive species, cleaning streams, and more. Another goal is to increase outreach and education to residents of the Baltimore area about the need to do this.

Fun Fact: Healthy urban environments should be covered by about 40% tree canopy. Currently, Baltimore is at about 20%.

So we’ve got lots of work to do. There’ s a goal of planting 1000 trees in Baltimore. The last NCCC team started this first round, and Badger 6 will be pushing to finish that goal.

So far, it’s been a pretty physical project: We’ve planted trees, cleaned trails, placed mulch, created rain barrels, and removed invasive species (No rabid animals, just weeds). We’ve all enjoyed being able to work outside everyday for this project, so we’ve had the added pleasure of being able to maintain the Ameri-tan we all absorbed in the Gulf.

…Except all you’d see is Badger 6 covered head to toe in dirt, mud, pine needles, mulch, or leaves respective to the day. Long story short, we’ve been working hard, getting dirty, planting trees, and making Baltimore greener. Short story shorter, SAVES THE WORLD.