It Only Takes One
Serving with The Nature Conservancy, I have the opportunity to work on preserves across the state as well as connect with volunteers and other community members. One preserve I’ve had the ability to visit frequently is our Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve. The very foundation of this property becoming preserve land is based on a Clean Water Act settlement to provide environmental benefits to the residents of Manchester. Not only is it the largest conserved parcel of land within city limits, but it also contains rare plant species including the threatened Atlantic White Cedar habitat.
During my second week as an AmeriCorps member, I had the opportunity to visit a group of preserve volunteers from a retirement community which neighbors our Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve. One volunteer, Bill, has been heavily involved with the preserve for many years and was an integral part in both the planning and development of the All Persons Trail which opened in 2022. His deep personal connection to the preserve led to the recent recruitment of new volunteers within his community to help assist with stewardship activities he’s led. At this meeting we listened to the group voice their concerns over prohibited usage and environmental impacts such as dogs on the property, construction debris, and stranded wildlife. Bill’s concern was emphasized amongst the others as it was clear his greatest worry was people losing interest and empathy for the place he’s dedicated so much time to. This gathering served as the initial spark to host an event speaking to the community to raise awareness of the unique natural community right across the street.
This past week, our talk from months ago was finally able to come together as we led an event at the retirement community in connection with Earth Day to help introduce ourselves and the organization to the community. We had over 50 residents attend along with staff members and an individual from the Conservation Commission. During our presentation we were able to show the broad reach that The Nature Conservancy has across the globe and how special it is for residents to have access to a natural area with such significant environmental value right in their backyards.
Additional residents from the community shared various wildlife photos including birds, amphibians, mammals and images caught on game cameras within the property. Game camera images gave insight into the hidden preserve wildlife including bobcat activity, a family of river otters, and a beaver from the wetland area. Another volunteer created an educational experience about wood ducks and included photos and videos from his most recent trip to help prepare wood duck nest boxes for the spring. As of last week, his game camera was able to identify the first wood duck of the season inspecting the nest box.
By the end of the event, it was clear that this local community has a shared appreciation for nature and connection to our preserve. We’re so lucky to be able to have people who can serve as additional eyes and ears on the ground and be able to inspire others to join them in protecting nature. At the very core of being an AmeriCorps member is our commitment to service and being able to speak to the community about conservation and the preserve which has proven to me that the work we do truly does have meaning. By holding an event like this we were able to show there are people behind the place and emphasize how important it is to protect our lands. Meeting someone as dedicated to conservation and passionate about our preserve as Bill has shown to me that it only takes one person to inspire others.
Mackenzie is serving with The Nature Conservancy as a member of their Stewardship team. She’s originally from New Jersey and has a degree in Wildlife Ecology and minor in Forestry from the University of Florida. Her favorite part about living in New Hampshire so far has been getting to see all of the coastal birds starting to migrate back to the Lubberland Creek Preserve. Learn more about Mackenzie here.