WARRIORS

What’s in Your Trunk?

When the Wednesday Warriors pull up to a preserve, we pop open our trunks, and amazing things appear. When we volunteer for the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, we are privileged to see a lot of different preserves needing all kinds of habitat restoration. So we need all kinds of gear, depending on the job at hand, and our own personal passions/tastes

Some Warriors are specialists, with bags for collecting seeds in season. Some are really into gear, engineering a perfect 3D-printed herbicide applicator. We even have a hospitality specialist who dazzles us with hot chocolate at the end of a snowy workday.

My favorite is the chainsaw brigade, a growing cadre of enthusiasts who bring their own assortment of blade sizes, fuel choices, and all the accou- trements. Joe brings a sled to haul all his gear. My other favorite is the new person who shows up with a whole trunk full of well-used gear, ready for action. No orientation or training required. And then there’s the botanical enthusiasts who have replaced their backpacks full of field guides with apps on their phone. They can steer the rest of us on whether a leafless tree is friend or foe as we clear the understory on a winter day.

I seem to be famous for all the duct tape I keep applying to my favorite jacket after emerging from a multiflora rose thicket with a new battle scar. We bring buckets, loppers, pruners, hedge trimmers, holsters, floppy hats, chaps, bug spray, kneehigh rubber boots, heavy gloves, and enthusiasm! You might also find a hand saw, daypack, flagging tape, water bottle, trash bags, extra work gloves, cell phone, snack bars, hand lens, bandanna, a change of clothes, a pack or two of toe warmers.

And a cup, for post-workday gathering. We don’t greet someone with “what’s your sign?” but rather, “where did you get those loppers?”

If your trunk looks a little empty, why don’t you throw in a pair of work gloves, and join us some Wednesday? We also have a spin-off group that works on Mondays. Email conserveland@swmlc. org to get on our mailing list or check out the website for details. Attendance is week-by-week as your schedule permits. And, about all that other gear – don’t worry, it’ll just happen.