On August 11th, 2024, AYLUS Oakland Gardens held its 106th event at the Soldier Monument in Kissena Park. We worked with Park Rangers, including Ada and Roxana, to beautify the park through mulching, cutting weeds, pulling vines, and removing branches. Despite the hot weather, many members attended the event to better our community.
Before our event began, our parent advisor team separated us into groups of elementary, middle, and high schoolers before further dividing us into six groups. Our parent advisor team provided us with mosquito stickers, while the Park Rangers provided us with various tools, such as rakes, shovels, and pitchforks. The Park Rangers told us to remove weeds and to cut suckers, which are sprouts at the root of a plant. They also told us to avoid areas marked with yellow construction tape, as they contained poison ivy.
All of the groups, except for Groups 1 and 2, worked in the Historic Grove, an area containing many rare trees. They picked up branches that had fallen on the ground and gathered them in a pile. The Park Rangers told us to only focus on the big branches. They also informed us that we needed to remove branches to clear the lawn for visitors, as the branches posed a safety hazard. This was also done to make it easier for lawn mowers to mow the grove. Some people also went around with loppers to cut weeds and trim trees.
Groups 1 and 2 concentrated on mulching the park. Group 1 mulched the area around the 9/11 memorial, while Group 2 mulched an area known as the Triangle. Both groups also removed weeds and put them in a pile so that they would be easier to transport. Along with many other benefits, mulch helps to keep weeds from growing. After Group 2 finished mulching the Triangle, they went over to the Historic Grove to help the groups over there. Group 1 had some mulch left over, so they used wheelbarrows to spread it around a garden near the memorial. Once they were done with this, Group 1 also went over to the Historic Grove.
One of the Park Rangers, Roxana, told us about the history of the Historic Grove, which used to be one of the most important centers of horticulture. In the 19th century, the Grove used to be a plant nursery that grew many rare plants. Many plants, such as the Japanese maple, were introduced to the United States through this nursery. To this day, over 100 different types of trees are found in the Historic Grove, including many rare ones, such as the wisteria and English ivy. In fact, Roxana told us that some of these trees are over 100 years old! The historical importance of this Grove helps to demonstrate the importance of working in parks.
Midway through the event. Roxana led some people from the Historic Grove to an area with a shrub. Roxana informed us that the shrub was covered by vines that were stopping the shrub from getting any sunlight and that the shrub would die if we did not remove the vines. She also told us how to distinguish between the shrub and the vines. Vines have different leaves from the shrub, and their stems are less sturdy than the branches of the shrub. We worked to pull out the vines, being careful not to damage the shrub in the process.
Towards the end of the event, a truck arrived, and we transported the branches from the pile we had made into the truck. The Park Rangers informed us that the branches are going to be taken to Cunningham Park, where they will be thrown into the shredder to be turned into mulch. This way, the branches do not go to waste and can be used to improve our parks.
When we finished with our work, our parent advisor team and Park Rangers organized a leaf scavenger hunt in which we had to identify and collect different types of leaves. We split into groups and looked around the park for these leaves. The winning team will be given chips at the next event. Not only was this a fun activity, but it also taught us about the different types of leaves and about the importance of preserving nature.
We would like to thank Roxana, Ada, and all of the other Park Rangers for providing us with tools and for helping us during the event. Thank you for allowing us to work with you, and we eagerly look forward to the opportunity to work with you again! Thank you to our parent advisor team and to all of our members who showed up to serve the community despite the intense heat! Your hard work and persistence help make our parks healthy and vibrant, and the parks are eternally grateful to you for your help!
Our Volunteers:
Jia Qi Liu (Angela): 4 hours
Sophia ShiHan You: 4 hours
Hong Hao Liu (Alfred): 4 hours
Stephanie ShiRan You: 4 hours
Alexander Lu: 4 hours
Sophia Lu: 4 hours
Michelle Song: 4 hours
Tiffany Pan: 4 hours
Tian Xiang Ding: 4 hours
Aidan Zheng: 4 hours
Darren Li: 4 hours
Austin Li: 4 hours
Bowen Chen: 4 hours
Yiming Chen: 4 hours
Shi Hao Li: 4 hours
Shi Zhen Li: 4 hours
Isabella Wang: 4 hours
Chloe Chan: 4 hours
Karis Yan-Tung Lau: 4 hours
Shirley Chiu: 4 hours
Justin Cheong: 4 hours
Jerry Shan: 4 hours
Anthony Lin: 4 hours
Sophia Xu: 4 hours
Anthony Xu: 4 hours
Sophia Gao: 4 hours
Aaron Shi: 4 hours
Derrick Gao: 4 hours
Evina Liu: 4 hours
Hannah Liu: 4 hours
Sabrina Gao: 4 hours
Jerry Zhu: 4 hours
Elyssa Lin: 4 hours
Cassandra Lin: 4 hours
Matthew Lin: 4 hours
Lucas Chen: 4 hours
Vicki Lin: 4 hours
Brandon Lin: 4 hours
Ziheng Jiao: 4 hours
Erica Li: 4 hours
Eric Zheng: 4 hours
Ian Lee: 4 hours
Elina Lee: 4 hours
Zhengyilan Fang: 4 hours
Shiqi Zheng: 4 hours
Joanna Qu: 4 hours
Jasmine Qu: 4 hours
Albert Tang: 4 hours
Ryan Wu: 4 hours
Darren Wu: 4 hours
Parent Adviser Team:
Cui Fang Li (Fannie): 5 hours
Teng Fei Liu (Faye): 5 hours
Hsinhui Liao (Karen): 5 hours
Report written by: Anthony Lin
Reviewed by: Jia Qi (Angela) Liu