Community Project (MCPS)

The Monmouth County Parks Systems (MCPS) is committed to improving the quality of life for the citizens of Monmouth County by providing the most efficient open parks, recreation, facilities and programs. MCPS has been operating since the 1960s when they acquired 24 acres of surplus land that was leftover from building the Garden State Parkway. With that original 24 acres, MCPS created Shark Park River in Neptune, New Jersey. Today, MCPS has developed 35 parks which accumulates 15,940 total acres. MCPS hosts an array of activities including special events, horse care, various races, camps and most importantly environmental/beach cleanups. Volunteers are constantly tiding up hiking trails, pruning trees and removing invasive weeds/plants to ensure that the parks are pristine. With MCPS people of all ages can find something to partake in and thoroughly enjoy. I have been an active volunteer of the MCPS since September 2013. What began as a service learning project for an environmental class of mine altered into habitual volunteer work. MCPS is a great organization to volunteer with because you have the opportunity to get your hands dirty yet still thoroughly enjoy the tasks. For my community project, I decided to focus on the gardening and the removal of invasive plants in one of MCPS’s parks. Deep Cut Gardens is a local park that is stunning to observe. Aside from Deep Cut’s greenhouse, there are an abundance of different trees, plants, bushes, trails and paths to enjoy. Considering that Deep Cut is a 54 acre park, it requires a tremendous amount of upkeep throughout the seasons. On April 15th I decided to drop in at Deep Cut to volunteer since it was the opening day of the garden cleanup. The temperatures were high and the sun was radiating down on us. Being that it was the first day, there were not many volunteers along side of me. Aside from a friend that I dragged along, I was mainly working alongside about five other volunteers. We began with a brief overview about plant gardens which explained the importance of having a variety of flowers for the numerous insects. We also discussed the importance of the soil and how to richen it. Although it was supposed to be mandatory to attend an information session for detecting invasive plants and proper gardening etiquette, practically every volunteer present did not make it. I personally planned to attend but had class. After our information session, we quickly worked on a decently trimmed garden for a sense of figuring out which methods to use. It mainly consisted of using pruners to trim unwanted/dead weeds. After approximately an hour and half of informative talks and simple maintenance, we moved on to a garden that needed to be almost completely restored. The gated off garden had not been tended to in almost a year and at first glance seemed to be a disaster. With our rakes, pruners, various shovels and of course, gardening gloves, we began to detach tremendous amounts of weeds from the soil. It was extremely difficult, especially in the high temperatures. I instantly grew blisters on my hands within the first half hour. After we pulled up a significant amount of weeds, a parks official brought over the rototiller. A rototiller is a small, motor-driven machine that instantly breaks up the soil and rids any excess grass or weeds that may have grown on top of it. I have never seen or even heard of a rototiller, but I completely understand why people may use them, especially for larger spaces. It worked like magic. Once the rototiller was demonstrated, we had the opportunity to direct it if we chose to. A few other volunteers did it, but I chose not to. Once the soil was rich and the weeds were completely gone, we began to distribute “lime” throughout the open space. At first, I was confused not understanding that “lime” was powered limestone The advantages of using the lime is that it brings calcium to the soil and makes the soil less acidic. We had buckets of the lime and distributed it evenly throughout the garden. Shortly after, pulverized cow manure surfaced and was dispersed throughout the garden. I learned that the cow manure increases soil carbon, which is a vital source of energy that makes nutrients available to plants. Using the manure also reduces runoff. We each raked the manure evenly throughout the soil. We were not able to actually plant the flowers that day because MCPS wanted it to rain in order for the soil to settle properly. I have never experienced this type of gardening or known the effort it took to successfully restore a garden. Gardens are not only exquisite; they require a lot of attention and consideration especially when they are being developed. People respond to beautiful, well-maintained surroundings by respecting and protecting these places regardless of who they are or where they derive from. People feel a connection to the tall trees, colorful flowers, various butterflies and wide stretches of green lawns. Green space has a multitude of benefits including the quality of life, health and environmental sustainability. Green spaces or parks are known to attract more people from various types of backgrounds. People want to feel connected to something greater than them. These green spaces are not judgmental and give anybody the option to enjoy the scenes and activities offered. These types of areas of especially beneficial in urban areas where children from various neighborhoods have the opportunity to increase social integration. Nature gives people a sense of tranquility and peace. When somebody’s mind is at ease, it decreases their stress levels which ultimately have a tremendous effect on everybody’s bodies and well-being. With open green areas, there are usually trails that people can walk or jog around. While Deep Cut is a smaller MCPS park, there are still opportunities to participate in physical activity throughout the entire space. Parks are an imperative factor to increasing environmental stability specifically in a world that is constantly consuming and taking more from nature than it gives back. Community gardens filter rainwater which in return helps to keep lakes, rivers and groundwater clean. I am glad I took the time to restore one of Deep Cut’s gardens. I did not even know this space of land existed within the park. The park is a beautiful landmark where many locals come to enjoy the serenity. I can successfully say that I contributed to making it a tad more pristine. While working through the heat and blisters, I felt some type of connection to nature and I gained more appreciation for it in general.