This week was one of new experiences, growth and knowledge. Our goal this week was to make progress on the Turtle Bayou boardwalk, and clear out brush to plant Mulberry and Cypress trees. We worked alongside our sister crew, Aqua from TxCC, with so many hands work was light and after the first morning we found a perfect organization and rhythm. The mud and water on the trails was the most difficult and frustrating part of this week, boots got stuck, bodies landed in deep pools of mud and tools were easily dirty and harder to use. This slowed work, but we managed to make wonderful headway with helpful hands and positive attitudes on both crews! Later on in the week a small group separated to brush cut, in order to plant trees along a march road. The trees are to be planted to create better habitats for birds and protect the marsh and road from erosion. With well suited tools this job was simple and we were able to quickly see results. Thursday afternoon we joined Texas crews at a educational talk about the migration of monarch butterflies and their declining habitat and population. This was eye opening to many crew members and a wonderful reminder of the importance of our work. All three crews (pink,aqua and the new TxCC gold crew) debriefed together and shared our favorite part of this week. This hitch as a team we had to better our communication skills and assimilate to working with a larger crew. We learned how to properly deal with different and difficult working conditions and use all team members gifts as a tool to better our work.

-LaCC Crew Member, Olivia Bischoff