Each spring break, the Community Service Office offers three volunteering trips to locations around the country. SpringSERVE is a non-conventional way for students to spend break, especially since the trips are usually not warm destinations. However, choosing to participate in SpringSERVE is a very rewarding and fun use of spring break.
This is my second year in a row being a part of the environmental SpringSERVE trip. Last year the location was Wells, ME and this year we traveled down south to Twin Lakes State Park in Green Bay, Virginia. It is 495 acres located in central Virginia, or about an hour southwest of Richmond. The park has an interesting history of the government acquiring the land from struggling farmers during the Great Depression. It centers on two man made lakes, which provide an abundance of recreational opportunities for visitors. Originally, the park manager planned on having our group work on trail construction and maintenance, but due to snowy weather the week before our arrival, the ground was too muddy for such activity. Instead, we ended up completing a random assortment of tasks to get the park in good shape for the upcoming main season. The various projects were: re-constructing flower beds, staining fence posts, assisting the park staff with installing an aeration system to increase the level of dissolved oxygen in one of the lakes, and placing picnic tables around the park. For the rest of the week we spent time working at the neighboring High Bridge Trail State Park. Here we mostly placed the finishing touches on a Civil War era fort in preparation for upcoming battle reenactments celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. This included completing the construction of a wood fence, replanting grass seed, installing informational signs, and thinning the surrounding forest of brush and trees to promote regrowth and fire suppression.
In addition to contributing to the beautification and general upkeep of valuable areas of conservation, participating in a SERVE trip is also a good way to meet other Lehigh students you normally wouldn’t interact with otherwise. It is an extremely fulfilling experience to have your help appreciated and see the results of your efforts as well as to disconnect from school life and just get back to nature.
For more information on SERVEtrips, please check out the Community Service Office's website: http://studentaffairs.lehigh.edu/content/serve-trips
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Kristiana Barr is a junior environmental studies and political science major who works for the Office of Sustainability as a student coordinator for the Lehigh Eco-Reps program.
Author: Kristiana Barr