Newsletter

<div class="ck-content"><h3 style="margin-left:0px;">TriWild Saturdays at Brumley South</h3>TLC's Brumley Preserve is very special to me. I visited there back at the end of 2019, enjoyed the trails greatly (though, to be honest, not so much all the mountain bikes) but was alarmed by the amount of invasives. I reached out to TLC and their response was wonderful: “Please come help us!” So I started heading over there on my own, going after the big privets along Walnut Grove Loop (you can see photos from the many, many workdays there on my <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1V_0RASvanK59yg26rqtNsjxH8UmvTBT-">Triangle Rewilding drive</a>). Soon, I had a few volunteers joining me. Then in early 2022, I proposed to TLC staff (Nick, Kayla, Diquan) that I hold a monthly tree rescue event on 3rd Saturdays and their response was wonderful: “Sounds great, let's do it!”.So we started the TriWild program with Priority Privet on 3rd Saturdays. Hundreds of people have volunteered at these events, it had an enormous impact and so, perhaps not surprisingly, I proposed to TLC that we add a 1st Saturday event to focus on autumn olive in March 2023. Green light, and suddenly we were holding two events per month. Fast forward to September 2023. I figured that given the urgency of the climate crisis and the need to save all we can, I went back to Nick and team again, this time with a very simple plan: Hold a TriWild (native ecosystem restoration) event EVERY SINGLE SATURDAY.How could they refuse? All I had to do was figure out a way to organize and lead weekly events there. I couldn't do them all myself. Among other things, I am committed to 2nd Saturdays in Durham with the also-amazing <a href="ellerbecreek.org">Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association</a>. It was time to recruit and train, as needed, more group leaders. This proved even easier than I was expecting. And so here we are: every single Saturday you can volunteer at Brumley South to remove invasives and restore native species, thanks to Lawrence and Christa and Tim and Eddie and Sam and Jesse!And now that it's September 17th, I can report that Lawrence did an excellent job leading a half-dozen volunteers on the 16th. I got to be plain, old volunteer and it was delightful! Of course, Lawrence did more than organize the event. He also did some heavy lifting, taking down a big dead cherry limb with the awesome Katanaboy 650 saw and also chainsawing a very large privet. Go Lawrence! We cleared out a big area of both privet and stilt grass. Our very proud group:<div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1LmB40bztiOqdPWFiuNHZJdz9kRefuEr-" alt="Big group goes after stilt grass" width="600" height="400"></div>But wait, that's not all! I also hold weekly Tuesday late-afternoon tree rescues at Brumley. So if you've got the time, we've got the opportunities for you, at Brumley South and elsewhere.<h3 style="margin-left:0px;">Pocket forests, Piedmont prairies</h3>I've started to work with the folks at <a href="https://www.leaflimb.com/">Leaf & Limb</a> / <a href="https://www.leaflimb.com/project-pando/">Pando Project</a> of late. They are an incredible organization and I encourage you to check them out. I recently learned about two initiatives they are promoting pocket forests and Piedmont prairies. I thought you might be interested to learn more.Pocket forestA high density forest is a collection of trees and shrubs planted closely together. We also call these Pocket Forests. These awesome plant ecosystems can include over 50 different species in one compact space! While the trees that make up a Pocket Forest will vary based on location and site conditions, the benefits remain the same. Pocket Forests accumulate carbon, reduce water runoff, create healthy soil, and provide a foundation for an abundance of life.Piedmont prairiesA meadow, which we call a Piedmont Prairie, is a community of native flowers and grasses where beauty and life thrive. In these prairies flowers brightly radiate colors, and grasses sway in the summer breeze. Countless birds, butterflies, and bees feed from these plants and call them home.Leaf & Limb is producing resources to make it easier for you to transform your own properties into thriving native ecosystems, they will also help you create these (Leaf & Limb is a commercial operation). Check out their websites and go native!<h3 style="margin-left:0px;">It's the century, decade, year, moment to ACT</h3>One of the mantras I repeat to myself (especially when sitting at my computer) is:doing > typingSo many of us spend so much time in front of screens, and with social media we have this very addictive feeling of “being seen” - I can post a message on Twitter or Facebook, etc., and get some likes and feel very strongly like I did something. But in fact I did not really do anything. Sure, writing and signing petitions and so on can have some impact (I suppose, maybe).But what our planet needs now, what our non-human friends need now, is action - direct and positive action. Action we take with our own mind and body and time. Action that takes us outside where the real world is. Action that directly works to heal the planet.May I suggest a small vow to take for the planet? I urge myself to Every day do something to heal the planet. Sometimes the thing I do is “big”, sometimes it might only be a small act, such as pulling up some honeysuckle in my yard. But every day, something.Take care,  Steven Feuerstein</div>