Service at Agate Bay Preserve: 3/5/17

On a particularly cold and rainy day, the Dragonflies gathered at the entrance to Agate Bay Preserve.  Our mission: Connect and Protect!

Scarlet Elf Cup Fungus
Sarcoscypha coccinea

In our opening circle we talked about the differences and similarities between preservation and conservation (ask your girl about her thoughts on this, we had a really rich discussion!), and learned about Agate Bay Preserve and its steward, Patricia Otto. It was impressive to hear how things had changed in the thirty years since Tricia has owned and worked on preserving her property! We learned that before Tricia arrived, the land was used for cattle, and instead of the slow creek that currently meanders through the front of property, there was simply a culvert for cows to drink from. As Tricia began transitioning the land from grass and pasture to a more hospitable ecosystem for native plants and animals, a beaver family dammed up the culvert and created the creek as it is now.  This invited more and more creatures and plants into the flourishing ecosystem meaning that every bird and mammal native to the area has visited her Preserve at some point or another- including bears and cougars!

Our lunch spot/Gymnastics zone

Stewardship takes constant care and attention though, and that's where the Dragonflies came in!  After our wonderful introduction and tour, it was time to get to work. Our service project for the day was simple: clear the trails on Tricia's preserve to ensure they continue to be accessible.  We grabbed a handsaw, donned our work gloves, and hit the trail!

All of the winter wind storms in the previous weeks created a plethora of projects for us!  As we wandered through the beautiful forests of Agate Bay, we laughed, talked, built birthday cakes (Happy Birthday Flower, Flicker, and Still Tree!), turned Problems Into Possibilities with the transformation of an entire downed tree into a new delicious-smelling creature cave, learned new games (thanks Chipmunk for teaching us what a constipated sloth sounds like), explored fallen log fairy wonderlands, and toured the Bat Barn!

The result of all of our hardwork!
A new home for some (or several) lucky creatures.

Finally, we wrapped up our day of service and fun with a round of Acknowledgements.  We shared gratitude for each other, the snail (rain + snow = snail), healthy habitat, and Tricia for choosing to Walk Her Talk every day by dedicating time out of her busy life (she's a doctor, too!) to the well-being of so many creatures.

Our Words of the Day? (Which, I should note, took about 10 minutes and 34 variations to nail down 😊) Serving the Trees in the snail!

You can check out our slideshow from the day here, for more moments of connection and exploration!

The fallen log fairyland

Mottos especially alive today:
Safety First
Collaborate and Compromise
We're All Teachers
LIBK
S.T.O.P.
Connect and Protect
Walk Your Talk
Attitude of Gratitude
Our Cups Overflow
Turning Problems Into Possibilities

Eagle Watching on the Nooksack @ the Deming Eagle Preserve 1-22-17

When the winter winds blow and cold waters run down from the mountains, the GEC Dragonflies come out to play. We waded through marsh and swift waters, traversed forgotten riverbeds and thick willow brush to finally reach the mighty Nooksack River. There we watched a timeless dance of connections between salmon, river, eagle, soil, trees, sky, life and death. A perfect winter Explorers' day.

What more can we say? The Dragonflies are evolving to represent the best of EC: heartfelt connection with one another; unrestrained joy in nature; curious and compassionate; stellar stewards; making memories together to last a lifetime. Sunday was a combination of all of the above, as all embraced the exploring spirit to foster connections with oneself (by stretching edges and LIBK their needs); to one another (by listening so well to one another and finding joy together in navigating difficult terrain, splashing in chilly waters, witnessing the natural cycle of life and death); and to nature (let me count the ways...). 

Our goal for the day was to spot some eagles, which we accomplished and then some! We saw nearly 20 eagles including a juvenile that flew directly overhead! We also saw several eagle nests, called eyries, along the road and river. These enormous nests made of sticks can weigh up to one ton!

There were signs of several other animals as well. The Dragonflies discovered a few sets of tracks along the sandy riverbank. We observed their oval shape, small size, and easy gait, and decided they belonged to a coyote! That small wild dog was probably searching for delicious salmon to snack on like the eagles.

We found signs of a human presence, too, even on that wild river. Many large pieces of trash were caught in the woody debris along the river. That unfortunate sight didn't get the Dragonflies down though, as they Turned Problems Into Possibilities and repurposed that trash into ferries for building materials! The new problem for the group quickly became "how do we build a bridge across this chilly river?" Rainpant's waterproofness was tested and several girls went wading (well, swimming) as they explored and navigated more Nooksack River terrain.

We gathered again as a group, with a special rock in hand. Our task was to tell the creation story of our particular rocks, and wow, Dragonflies are creative! We stacked all of our rocks together in a cairn, and discussed how we balance the many pieces of our lives.

And now, with chilly (and somewhat numb) fingers and toes, we began to navigate our way back through the marsh. We made it back in record time! These girls' navigation, communication, and teamwork skills really shined today. We decided to test that even further with a special salmon-themed game of Finder, Seeker, Speaker.

The end of the day snuck up on us, so we tried a new version of Peaceful Place. We decided to throw one of the 5 S's out the window (Still), and completed a moving meditation. It seemed fitting to flow back to the bus in the direction of the river, peacefully taking in all of our surroundings, and reflecting on the day.

Words of the Day: Water, mud, beaver sticks, eagles, salmon, swampy marsh!

See the link here for the rest of the story!

EC Mottos especially alive today: Be Prepared, Safety First, All Things Are Connected, Dance to the Beat of Your Own Drummer, It's About the Journey, Not the Destination, Leave No Trace, You See It You Own It, Get Dirty!, LIBK, Be Here Now, Expect the Unexpected