Follow Up Post

For the most part, our group finished with the project; all that's really left is the video. Because we need additional filming (ie. b-rolls, tight/medium/wide shots/ etc.), we're still going to Tule Ponds for more footage. My involvement would mostly be attending the meetings and assisting with filming.

Big Ideas Summary

Context:

For my Big Ideas project, I worked on environmental restoration in Tule Ponds, a local park in our community. My group members are Nate, Sachi, and Sri. We chose Tule Ponds because we want to help preserve biodiversity and make an impact in our local community. Our mentor was Dr. Blueford, a geologist in charge of maintaining Tule Ponds. She had already agreed to be our mentor prior to our interview. We had our interview with her on December 6th at around 9:30 A.M. in Tule Ponds. It was agreed that we would come every other Saturday to help out.

Part 1 (What I Did): 

Helping out turned out to be a number of things. One of the first things I did was clear away debris from the walking path; I used a rake to gather them into trash cans and dumped them into the compost bins. In addition, I cleared away invasive species and weeded, sometimes using a pair of garden scissors and other times using my hands for the particularly tough roots. I also trimmed away at lavender plants that were getting in the way of the path, and sorted out the cut parts into two categories: what could be replanted and what couldn't. I was able to sort these by looking carefully at the leaves of the plant. If it looked relatively healthy, then it could be replanted. If the leaves looked sickly or dying, then it couldn't be replanted, and I would dump them into the compost bins. I helped to pot the plants by gathering soil and packing them into small pots. I did a lot of the filming, recording various shots throughout the course of this project that we could use in the video. 

Part 2 (Reflection):

Overall, the project went really well. Because it was only a bi-weekly commitment, we didn't have too much trouble adjusting our schedules and meeting up every other Saturday. It was a labor-intensive commitment though; we would spend 2 hours (sometimes even more) actively working. However, after each meeting I left feeling like we really were making an impact. There was always so much work to do, but it was fun, especially working together with the group. My only regret was that we should've recorded more. While we did film enough to put together a good video, we didn't show off many techniques (B-rolls, wide/medium/tight shots, etc). And even though we finished the project, there's still the video to worry about. No one in our group is experienced with video editing, so i'm a little nervous as to how it'll turn out. However we're a relatively good group; we work well together and stay on task, so I doubt it'll be too much of a problem.

Part 3 (Effects): 

Dr. Blueford was definitely grateful for our help, and frequently brought cookies in appreciation. We impacted the community by beautifying Tule Ponds. In our own small way, we helped to turn Tule Ponds into a place that Fremont residents can enjoy visiting. We also helped the environment via restoration (weeding, planting, cleaning up the area, etc). In a few years our efforts will show noticeably when the plants we planted grow, the paths we cleared being sustained, and by the people that visit Tule Ponds. 

Project Proposal

Link

January Update

So far our project is going along well. Our project proposal is already done, so we've been working on the now. We've all been going to Tule Ponds every other Saturday, and taking lots of pictures and videos. Just this Saturday we were rooting out the invasive plants and planting in the native species. Next meeting we plan to get footage of Dr. Blueford answering our questions. 

What i've specifically done so far is work with the others in Tule Ponds. I've helped pull out invasive plants from the soil, and help clear away the walking path. I've also done a lot of the filming and pictures, and helped write a good chunk of the project proposal. 

I don't have any concerns for the project, we're on task and progressing at a good pace. Much of what we're doing is working in Tule Ponds, which everyone in the group is doing, so all of us have mostly the same role, with only a few differences. My role is defined, and in addition i'll help out in the written aspects and photography/filming. The only thing that may interfere with the project completion would be the video editing aspect of it, as no one in our group has much experience.

Mentor Report

My group, Nate, Sachi, and Sri interviewed Dr. Blueford on Saturday December 6th at Tule Ponds at around 9:30 A.M. Dr. Blueford informed us that Tule Ponds serves our community in many ways but it is mainly used for "flood control and as a wild life sanctuary for the many species" in our community (personal interview). She needs our help in restoring the native flora in the empty spaces surrounding the lake. She also encourages schools to take field trips to the pond so they can learn about about their environment. For our project we have decided to go to Tule Ponds every other Saturday to help plant native trees and plants so that we can restore our community's environment and provide a nurturing habitat for the wild life. 

We weren't however, able to take picture with Dr. Blueford.

One can contact Dr.Blueford at 1999 Walnut Ave, Fremont.

Article Annotation + Rhetorical Precis

The below links are the annotations and precis for the following article: Restoring The Gulf Coast

Annotations

Precis

Research 4

• Link

The link is to the Candlestick Point Eco-Stewards website. The organization consists of  "a multi-generational and multi-cultural cohort of youth, volunteers, supporters, environmental educators, habitat restoration specialists, community organizers and social justice advocates dedicated to connecting people to local urban open spaces to restore ecology, improve environmental health and strengthen community." Their mission is to work through exological restoration, community engagement, and public education. They host regular meet ups where they work to beautify the area. You can volunteer, donate, or even contact them to schedule a special event for your group.