Projects have ranged from tree clearing, salvaging of plant materials from nurseries, to planting out bulbs, divisions, trees and shrubs, at a wide range of restoration sites.
In the six weeks that they were with us, they planted out tens of thousands of plants, all in good humor, despite the often wet weather and muddy conditions.
"One thing I learned, was remaining positive, even in challenging conditions, and doing tasks that I was completely unfamiliar with," said Kimberly Swartz, one of the Silver 5 team. "I learned to use tools effectively in the outdoors," said Britney Hernandez, and added, "I never did outdoor work before, so it was a great experience." Jacob Pearson commented that "seeing a variety of habitats made it extra special." Dom Pritzl noted, "By helping one species, you help the whole ecosystem."
One of the team members' favorite sites was Beazell Memorial Forest, a Benton County property, where they used chainsaws to clear trees in order to maintain migration corridors for Taylor's checkerspot butterflies.
