Last Saturday, in honor of National AmeriCorps Week, a group of Loras students and volunteers from the Dubuque community gathered at Swiss Valley Nature Preserve to help out with the upkeep of the center. The ABLES Project – A Beneficial Learning Environmental Service Project – was an opportunity for youths between the ages of 17 and 21 to participate in a service experience. Headed by the Loras AmeriCorps branch and aided by local Dubuque AmeriCorps members and some of the Loras honors students, the project was done in collaboration with the Dubuque Community School System’s Super Seniors Program, Hills & Dales, and students and faculty from the Loras education division. The day provided people with the opportunity to play a hands-on role in helping Swiss Valley maintain its beauty and diversity.
The event was led by Jenny Ammon, a naturalist with Dubuque County Conservation. Ammon explained the need for the volunteer work to be done. “Ginger mustard plants were actually originally brought over by people from Europe,” Ammon explained. This plant is an invasive species; it spreads out and monopolizes space, pushing out other plants. “Just as we need diversity in our communities,” explained Ammon, “we need it in nature.”
Half of the people in attendance participated in pulling up these waste-high, closely grown plants and stuffing into trash bags. The other half were on garbage duty, walking along the nature trails and picking up litter that careless hikers had left behind in the woods. Although it was a chilly day, people enjoyed the chance to be outdoors and helping out.
First year Callie Krummel voiced this sentiment regarding being outside for the day, saying, “Swiss Valley is so beautiful, and this community of people plus the gorgeous trails makes me so thankful that I could be there helping out, picking up trash and pulling the invasive species.”
Maggie Baker, the director of the Center for Experiential Learning, explained that the money for the project come in the form of a $500 grant from AmeriCorps. “Only twelve of these grants were given out over the whole state, and Loras managed to get one,” explained Baker.
Overall, the day was a success both in terms of helping Swiss Valley, Dubuque as a whole, and all thirty-six individuals who participated. “I always enjoy opportunities to get out and volunteer, especially with other Loras students,” said Bo Anderson, a first-year. “It’s always good to go into the Dubuque community and help people,” he added.
