Caring for and Healing the Earth

Tracker School Caretaker Classes

Nov 2001 Caretaker Class

Page 2 of 20

 

Monday October 29, 2001

Morning:

The class went to the Tracker primitive camp first thing in the morning.

 
There, Tom talked to the class about the logging of the nearby cedar swamp, and the effects of that activity on the whole area. In summary, the cedar swamp is not just a bunch of trees in isolation from the rest of the area.

  
Tom then sent the class out into the cedar swamp, both the logged (clearcut) and unlogged portions, to gain an understanding of this type of forest, to get to know it really well. He said that you can't properly Caretaker unless you have this understanding and awareness.
  
Tom Brown shows the 1996 cut area to the class, using it as an example of how beneficial caretaking is for an area (the 1998 Caretaker class did some work on this area).
  
Students exploring and getting to know the cedar swamp area.
  

Afternoon:

 

In the afternoon the groups were asked to get together and compare and contrast the three areas of the cedar swamp:

  • old growth (unlogged) area

  • recently clearcut area, not healthy

  • regenerating clearcut area, healthy

Here is a group discussing what they found.  

 

The groups then went out to the clearcut areas of the cedar swamp (cut during the last few years) and select a small area. They were to caretake half of that area today. The other half will be done later in the week.

He told the class to pull back the slash left in heaps on the ground from the small cedars and trim/remove broadleaf plants.

 

 
Leaving the swamp after the caretaking exercise.
 
Getting ready to leave the Tracker primitive camp, to head back to the Citta Scout camp for supper.
 

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