By Dakota Springer
The thing about poison ivy – aside from the obvious, of course – is once you know what it looks like, you can’t not see it.
Like a lot of things in life.
I learned to identify the itch-inducing plant as well as many others this summer while working on a Student Conservation Association crew at Cleveland Metroparks. My crew of six members aged 14 to 18, plus two adult leaders, constructed trails, removed invasive species, and gained valuable green job skills.
If you saw my crew, you may have noticed our blue tee shirts. Across the chest, in bold white letters, was the slogan “CONSERVATION BEGINS HERE.”
At first, I thought that meant it started with SCA. But now I see that conservation begins with each one of us.
I do not know if we can reverse climate change, but I think I can make a difference. I plan to keep going until I get to a place where I can make change — something that really changes people’s minds and the course of our planet.
