Hartley Nature Center Reflection

Hartley Nature Center Service Reflection
Driving up to Hartley Nature Center, the prominent respect for nature is immediately evident. When I first arrived at Hartley, Brett expressed to me that the Nature Center is dedicated to inspiring life-long connections to nature through education, play, and exploration. Even after only a few minutes of being at the center, I could see that the mission they wish to ensue was being acted out all round me. Everyone there was enjoying nature in their own ways. The preschool children were running around the trees during recess, there were runners taking on the trails throughout the Nature Center, and all the volunteers seemed happy and excited to be outside helping. During my time at Hartley I participated …show more content…
During my first two hours, I was hauling large logs from the woods back down the trail to the wood pile. It was intense work, being the small person that I am, it at first made me question why anyone would do this work voluntarily? But, after a little over an hour of moving the logs from the trail, the children from the school came running down the trails. The teachers with them were very happy to see that we had cleared the trails of tree debris, making it much safer for the kids to run and play. This is one way that I experienced the “integral ecology” that Pope Francis speaks of. In chapter 4 of his Encyclical, Pope Francis says that the environment is “ a relationship existing between nature and the society which lives in it.” In this case, a major part of the society that exists in Hartley is the preschool children. Through the children’s experiences of playing on the trails that have been well-maintained and well-respected, the children will grow up knowing of why it is so important to respect the environment around them. In helping clear the trails for them to roam on, I was a part of creating that lesson for