By Kaden, Declan, Charlie, and Arjun
Our visit to the Palmyra Nature Cove was a day dedicated entirely towards stewardship; stewardship is a Quaker value that urges actions of physical service in an attempt to preserve the world around us.
We started by cutting down invasive vines that had begun to choke out native plants, trees, and species. At first, it seemed like tough work as we had to trim, pull, and untangle thick growth, but it eventually became a rewarding part of the day. As we cleared sections of the vines, we could actually see open space that could foster new growth, symbolic of our service giving the environment around us a fresh start. This is something that deeply resonates with the Quaker “spice” (SPICES) of stewardship. The act of cleaning up the forest itself also gave us insight into the stewardship required to maintain such an expansive area. From these actions and observations we learned how stewardship is not just an idea, its effort, consistency, and care, all of which we hope was reflected in our work today. Even the seemingly small actions of removing invasive vines can help restore balance.
Picking up the trash along the beaches of the Delaware river was our afternoon activity. This reflected stewardship in a different way. Seeing litter in a preserved natural area shows us how human carelessness can negatively impact even protected spaces. Cleaning this beach up felt like taking accountability, even if we’re not directly the problem. This connects strongly to the Quaker belief in caring for the world as a shared responsibility, rather than assuming someone else will fix it. Simultaneously, simply being present at the cove’s shores helped the group build an appreciation and connection with the environment because we took time to notice and understand that our environments matter. Without this sense of appreciation, the motivation to take care of it would not be as compelling. Overall, both experiences from today showed us how stewardship is both active and reflective.
