On November 4th 2023, The Oakland Gardens Branch of AYLUS partnered with Alley Pond Park to partake in a sustainability initiative. During this project, our branch planted trees in the heart of the forest. Whether it was working in pairs or solo, all the members or the branch and other volunteers worked collaboratively under one incentive: planting 900 trees. Our team also worked with other organizations, staff, and scouts. Although the initiative only lasted for three hours, our determination and work ethic was unmatched.
Our members were taught how to plant a tree to make sure that the tree has a high rate of living in the forest. We learned that due to the prolonged growth in a pot, the roots of the tree grew around in a circular motion, which can kill the tree in the future. So to prevent that from happening, we learned that we need to loosen the roots from their circular path letting them know that they are able to stretch outwards now, meaning that even if we hear a bit of ripping from the roots, it is better for the tree than to leave it to continue grow in the circular shape. During the lesson on how to plant a tree, we learned that there are different insects and snakes that live there as well. We managed to see a harmless small garter snake, some of our members even went to hold it. We also learned about the different insects that reside in the wild, plus their habitat and their food source.
This event was hosted because this provides many benefits to New Yorkers, such as improved air and water quality, reduced pollution, and lower energy costs. Not only does this benefit New York as a whole, but it also helps any volunteers that sign up for this event, teaching them about the environment as well as giving them a possible career path or something they can do during their free time. Our members learnt a lot from this experience, as well as bonding together more as a team.
Our volunteers:
Jia Qi Liu (Angela): 3 hours
Jessica Lin: 3 hours
Anthony Lin: 3 hours
Ioklee Lin: 3 hours
Aiden Lin: 3 hours
Brandon Lin: 3 hours
Sophia Shi Han You: 3 hours
Hong Hao Liu (Alfred): 3 hours
Stephanie Shi Ran You: 3 hours
Jameson Liu: 3 hours
Austin Yuel: 3 hours
Fanglin Xu: 3 hours
Colleen Chen: 3 hours
Darren Chen: 3 hours
Report by Jia Qi Liu (Angela), Andy Chen, Jessica Lin, Susan Yang