Toni Valley Forge Research Paper

June twenty-seventh was the day that I had been anticipating before the start of summer vacation. I arrived to philly by bus, which was the first bus ride that I had ever taken alone. Before I began my job at Independence Hall, I arrived at Market Street where I was greeted by my crew leaders Mel and Jenny. The rest of my crew members arrived and we made our way to Independence National Historic Park Headquarters. Toni, the park’s landscape architect, introduced herself to the crew. She shared stories about the first parks that emerged during the 1800s. We learned that because wealthy people were the only ones who could afford to have a park built on their property, cemeteries were the first parks that were introduced to the public. After Toni …show more content…
We began our visit with a short video of historical events that occurred at valley Forge such as it being the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The area was said to be the birthplace of the American army, which is why soldiers today visit there before they are stationed elsewhere. We continued our day with a trolley ride to several locations around Valley Forge. One area that caught my attention was the campsite where log cabins were created. The tour guide said that the soldiers were not stationed there primarily to fight in battle, but to build cabins and farm crops. Many people who joined the army were individuals who were in it just for the money or to get away from home. Some were not very skilled in battle, which is why they were trained on the wide landscapes that occupied the area. After I was well informed of area that I would be working in, I was introduced to Pat. Pat was the leader of the weed warriors crew who had been working in the area for about two week prior to my crew's arrival. The weed warriors are a group of people who raze the the landscape of Valley Forge of invasive plant species. Some of the plants that the crew and I attempted to remove were honeysuckle, Japanese stilt grass, guam berry bushes, and garlic mustard. Another issue that arose at Valley Forge was the decrease in the deer population. The invasive plants were taking food away from the deer by destroying the native plants that the deer would feed on. The deer became accustomed to eating the guam berries and would scatter the seeds by their waste. The task presented to the group was daunting, but we were able to get the job done with efficiency, and learned about how invasive plants can take control of an area in a short amount of time and the impact that they made on the environment. The experience and knowledge that I obtained at Valley Forge was