Boy, was it nice when we all met last Saturday at Marine Park! The sun was shining it sure felt like the spring that we know and love. Roosevelt Elk Calves were full of energy and mentors were excited to funnel them upstream like the salmon they came to understand and mimic.
The Connelly Creek Traverse is an opportunity for Explorers to follow Padden and then Connelly Creeks upstream from Bellingham Bay. This is to put ourselves in the mindset and body of the salmon that have been migrating like this for many years. With the culvert under Old Fairhaven Parkway recently removed around 22nd Street, those salmon made it to Connelly Creek last fall for the first time in over 80 years, one resident told us.
We end the outing at the Boys EC service site at Connelly Creek in Happy Valley Park. Next outing the boys will do some salmon habitat restoration there. So our hope is that the boys can start to piece together the connections between their journeying, their service work, and the species that inhabit the lands we explore and serve. Or simply, that they have fun on a long walk on a gorgeous spring day!
We played games at Marine Park to release the pent up energy after a long week in classrooms. Tim filled in for Steve who was recertifying his Wilderness First Responder certification. David K joined as a volunteer mentor too. Roosevelt Elk Calves and mentors became part of the herd and the third mentor transformed into a cougar that tried to eat the elk running through his forest. It was fun to run around and avoid getting tagged.
Hunger set in and we needed a place to eat lunch. Dave led us to a bluff above the water treatment facility and we enjoyed food and water with a nice view. A tiny hill eventually became the center of attention as boys created and played an impromptu game of tag that involved them trying to climb atop of the mound. It’s amazing to me just how spontaneous and natural it was for these Explorers to create a game together, develop rules, and focus on their tiny world. I think we could have stayed there for hours if we didn’t have a traverse to complete.
We rolled down the hill and began the understanding of plant knowledge. We shouldn’t pick any plants we cannot identify. Some are food, and others are poisons. Others are medicine and nearby there are plants that could kill us. In the end, we began the plant identification journey and recognized just how vital it is that we form relationships with these botaneous (made-up word) comrades.
Games of
Hide! ensued as we wound our way up trail and upstream to Padden Creek. For the next two hours we traversed twenty-two blocks, took many breaks along the way, joked, and enjoyed the shade. Please ask your Explorer if he can remember the names of any tree or plant species we identified during our walk. Does he remember the medicine tree that Dave showed them? Do they remember the bird’s nest that looks like a sock? Does he have any funny stories to share about a fellow Explorer?
After long last we made it to the confluence of Connelly and Padden creeks. What a peaceful place! The Roosevelt Elk Calves took to it like it was their own home. They were keen to explore its banks and dive into its waters. The service bug must have nipped them early because they spent some time trying to remove dams so that the salmon would have clearer paths through which to swim.
We had a closing meeting and followed the
motto,
Attitude of Gratitude, as we participated in a Circle of Thanks. I am thankful that we had such nice weather and that Explorers deepened their relationship to the Connelly Creek watershed.
Well done Explorers for making the entire journey! Parents, thank you for your support of these boys as they connect with the land and each other… or at least for dropping us off and picking us up on both ends while we played for five hours in between :)
Please see the
photo gallery for more pictures of the outing. See you next time, at the Connelly Creek Service Site on April 27th at noon!
