By Evelyn Merz
Come join Sierra Club volunteers on the fourth annual Lone Star Chapter habitat restoration service trip at Big Bend National Park!
Over the past three service trips, volunteers from across Texas came to Big Bend to help restore prairie, plant trees, returned an abandoned road at the Basin to habitat, and narrow old vehicular roads at Rattlesnake Road and Croton Springs back to trail. On our day off, we visit the town of Boquillas across the Rio Grande for lunch or hike in the park. Some decide to just relax and enjoy the view.
This year we plan to work in three different areas of the park. We’ll spend one day in the Basin area, doing some detail work on removing invasive Lehmann’s lovegrass and putting in waterbars on an old road that the Chapter worked to restore back to habitat. We will remove invasive brush at Government Springs and work in the North Rosillos area.
We will start this year’s project on Monday morning, April 30, and work through Friday, May 4, with Wednesday as a free day. Volunteers need to arrive no later than Sunday, April 29, to set up camp and for general orientation. Work begins on Monday at 9am and subsequent workdays begin at 8am. All of the workdays end at 5:00pm. NOTE: These will be full workdays and we will be performing manual labor outdoors in a remote location, so you will need to be in reasonably good physical condition.
Under Sierra Club guidelines, all participants will be required to sign a liability waiver in order to participate. The form will be there when you arrive to set up camp. Also, the National Park Service has a separate liability waiver that we sign on Monday, the first day of work.
Contact Evelyn Merz, coordinator of the trip, if you have any questions. Evelyn L. Merz (Houston): 713-644-8228 or 713-201-4061 (cell), or elmerz@hal-pc.org.
Details
There is a $55 registration fee per person, which includes a $25 donation to Big Bend National Park. Checks should be made out to “Sierra Club Foundation” with “Lone Star Chapter” on the memo line. (Please don’t put anything else on the memo line). Mail your check to:
Evelyn L. Merz, 7095 Santa Fe Dr., Houston, TX 77061
Receipt of your check guarantees your place on the trip!
We will set up a conference call of all participants about a week before the trip begins, exact date and time of the call TBA with Dave Larson, our work coordinator and fellow laborer at Big Bend National Park.
The Work
The park will supply all the tools we need. YOU MUST bring a pair of heavy work gloves (leather on the palms and fingers, not cloth) to protect your hands. This will be a habitat restoration trip. As mentioned above, this year we plan to work in three different areas of the park. We’ll spend one day in the Basin area, doing some detail work on removing invasive Lehmann’s lovegrass and putting in waterbars on an old road that the Chapter worked to restore back to habitat. We will remove invasive brush at Government Springs and work in the North Rosillos area.
As you can imagine, you have to be in reasonably good physical condition to participate and be comfortable on the trip.
Camping
We will camp next to the Remuda in the Basin area, which is close to the group camping site. The Remuda facility has running water, shower/bathrooms (YAY!), food storage locket, refrigerator (YAY!), and a sink for washing dishes. BUT there is not a kitchen stove. I bring a hot plate which I share with others. Other people have brought camping stoves. The facility is used by seasonal workers, but usually there are a few other people at the Remuda when we volunteer. As volunteers, we will be allowed to use facilities on the first floor. There will be no charge for volunteers to camp. You should bring the usual camping gear: tent with ground cloth, sleeping bag with pad, flashlight, etc. Bring toiletries and any medicine you think you’ll need. Be sure to bring strong tent stakes suitable for hard soil with rocks, i.e., NOT the type you would use in soft/sandy/loamy soil. The place where we will be camping has a beautiful view of “The Window” as the sun goes down. Think about bringing a folding lawn chair or stool.
Food and water
This trip is a volunteer project organized by the Lone Star Chapter. There will not be a person dedicated to cooking, like there is on service trips run by the national Sierra Club (which are also more expensive!). Volunteers will be responsible for their own meals, with the exception of lunch on our workdays. Let’s cover the meals individually.
For breakfast: On work days, we will have to be ready for work by 9:00am on Monday and 8:00am on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. We also need a packed lunch ready to bring into the field (more about lunch below). That means that there isn’t time for anything leisurely. Something like adding hot water to oatmeal, cereal, fruit, bagels, and coffee/tea would be easier. Also, you’ll be packing your lunch after you finish breakfast.
For lunch: Part of your registration will cover lunch fixings. At breakfast, we will spread out bread, meat, cheese, raw vegetable sticks, peanut butter and jelly, fruit, chips, cookies, granola bars (you get the idea). Each participant should bring a plastic container(s) to hold the sandwich you put together and the other items. ALSO VERY IMPORTANT, you will need at least one quart-size reusable water bottle to fill with water before we start work. We will have large water jugs at the work site from which you can replenish your water bottles, but you should start out the day with a filled water bottle. I will have a large ice chest to hold the sandwich containers when we’re out in the field.
For dinner: There is a lot of flexibility with this meal. Since we are going to be staying in the Basin, the park lodge and its restaurant will be easily accessible. There is a trail going from the Remuda up to the lodge. If you wish, it is possible to eat your dinner there, but it could be dark by the time you finish, which means you better have a flashlight to get back! Another option is everyone who wants to eat at the lodge could drive up as a group. You might want to vary eating at the lodge some nights and cooking other nights. It depends on your budget and whether you like to cook. However, it is also possible to cook at the Remuda. The park will have an outdoor stove there, but probably not enough space for a dozen people to be cooking simultaneously. Another option is to bring along your camp stove or a hot plate. Remember that we will have a refrigerator and each person will have a space in the refrigerator.
ALL FOOD NOT IN THE REFRIGERATOR MUST BE STORED IN THE FOOD LOCKER INSIDE THE REMUDA OR OUTSIDE IN ONE OF THE BEAR-PROOF LOCKERS OR IN YOUR VEHICLE. DO NOT KEEP ANY FOOD IN YOUR TENT, JUST YOUR WATER BOTTLE.
Internet and cell phone
Cell phone service is basically available at the lodge area in the basin (sometimes) and the same applies to internet service. When I’ve been at Big Bend, there are usually several people using laptops and cell phones in the patio area of the lodge just outside the restaurant.
What you should bring
Keep in mind that temperatures can fluctuate during the day and the wind can affect how you feel. In April, the average high is 82 degrees and the average low is 53 degrees. You should bring a sweatshirt and a windbreaker/rain jacket to layer over a lighter layer and a coat if you get cold easily. It can feel quite chilly in the morning.
Because of where we’re working, you should dress in:
- Long pants (No shorts!)
- Long-sleeved shirts to protect your arms
- Sturdy shoes or boots with appropriate socks – we want to keep cactus spines and brambles out
- Think about bringing a pair of camp shoes and shower shoes.
- Wide-brimmed hat
- Heavy work gloves
- Rain jacket –just in case
Other things to bring
- Be sure to bring your PASSPORT and cash in small bills if you plan to visit Boquillas on our day off.
- Plastic container(s) to hold your sandwich & other packed lunch items
- Re-usable quart water bottle (at least one)
- Daypack for your water bottle, rain jacket, sunscreen, etc.
- Flashlight – just in case you’ve walked to the lodge and you’re walking back to the Remuda at night and to make sure you don’t trip if you visit the restroom in the Remuda
- Prescription medicine (if applicable)
- Sunscreen
- Camping gear – ground cloth, tent, pad, sleeping bag, daypack, camp stove, etc.—with heavy-duty tent stakes
- Folding camp chair/stool to enjoy the sunset
- Personal toiletry items