On our first day of work with Blue Heron Nature Preserve, my classmate Milo Vasquez and I met with Executive Director Melody Harclerode and Conservation and Operations Director Denise Cardin. First, Denise greeted us and gave us a synopsis of the organization’s missions, current projects, and the kind of work we will be doing. Their official mission is to provide access to green space and environmental education in Atlanta, but they also want to provide a space for art to flourish as well, showing off original pieces by several different artists in the Atlanta area. Both Denise and Melody asked us in-depth questions about our strengths and our interests, and it was nice to see that they want to work with the skillsets we already have and give us a fulfilling opportunity based on that. Milo, who is very familiar with the plant life both here and in his home state of Oregon, has a deep level of interest and experience in Environmental Science, whereas my interests mostly lie in art and communication (though I have a healthy amount of experience in event coordination as well).

I’m excited for the two of us to get as hands-on as possible, especially since our strengths seem to complement each other. Denise also took Milo and me on a tour of the building and let us wander around one of their trails, where we discovered a community garden and compost space. During the tour, she asked us if we knew about heat islands, to which we replied affirmatively since that was defined for us in our class’s first reading, Atlanta City Design: Nature (published by the Department of City Planning). Heat islands are a problem we see in Atlanta often, where infrastructure in urban areas absorb and trap heat from the sun, which negatively affects the climate and air pollution levels. We discussed the role of tree canopies and how integral they are to protecting heat islands, specifically with the lack of green space here in Atlanta. What shocked me the most was when she showed us a marsh out the window attached to a stream (pictured above left) and told us that it used to be a lake. She said that people in the neighborhood adjacent to the preserve remember ice skating on the lake in the Winter, which is unfathomable to think about looking at it now.

Last, Milo and I had an opportunity to sit and talk with Melody and ask her any sort of questions we may have had. Milo definitely had me beat in the question department, but I think we’ll both learn best as we go along and think of possible questions as they arise. Our first task will be to survey the trees throughout the space and measure their circumference. I am eager for more of this type of work in the future and excited about all the new information I expect to learn throughout my time with Blue Heron Nature Preserve.