Accomplishment

Prior to my summer excursion in Vermont, I began working with a Cape Cod organization called Food Forest Initiative (FFI) who pride themselves on implementing sustainable agricultural practices. In their words, “a volunteer collaborative that promotes Cape Cod biodiversity and food sovereignty through public plantings and educational actions.” Their knowledge is based on successful permaculture and “Restoration Agriculture” experiments in local yards and farms across Cape Cod.

In April of 2021, I joined them at Long Meadow Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable, Cape Cod. Our plan was to restore the sanctuary’s front field from a state of overgrowth and frozen plants —and with the 20+ volunteers, we did just that! From 11 AM to 5 PM, we all worked on designated portions of the land; some planted, others weeded or built solid cages around new life, and I completed one of my favorite things to do with and for the ground; I spent 3 hours walking back and forth, laden with wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow with fresh chip mulch. Adding this as a top layer to new soil, preventing weeds or making a moat to welcome water, was nothing short of a serotonin boost. I felt so happy to be able to give back to a portion of Cape Cod that would soon fruit so much for us.

Me at Long Meadow Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Barnstable (April 17th, 2021)

Audubon sanctuaries like this are global havens for all forms of flora and fauna and are instrumental in protecting the natural wildlife of the land they occupy.

The project installed at Long Meadow Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary was a food forest garden, which preserves and protects the lifecycle of native plants while growing food in a hierarchical form (smallest to biggest, and in a way that benefits pollinators, birds, and humans!). I felt so lucky to be able to contribute in return to a place that was such an integral part of my childhood by encouraging sustainable growth there.