How To Identify Many Trees

Please note that this is a work in progress. The running title for my manuscript is Finding Satori Within Nature. There are currently 14 chapters being edited. I will attempt to post the following chapter within 2 weeks.

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The Metal Journal: Part Two

Two weeks have passed since meeting J____ and visiting with B__.

Corps member R_____ heads into a room with our nonprofit administrator D_____ this morning. The interviews for next year’s leadership positions pay little to nothing, but our members are interviewing anyway. It is not enough to counterbalance the weeks spent pulling invasive species in my opinion. I do believe I have obtained the networking skills I was hoping for and am denying the request for another term. Once the term is over, I would like to move on.

The person who introduced me to the Corps offered to see if we could meet up outside of work. I agreed. She seems pleasant; one who is immersed in the nonprofit ideal. We are both looking forward to it, at least her smile said as much.

Our elongated lunch period, induced by the interviews, has me reflecting upon the year we’ve had. Even just last week was eventful. We worked in the tree nursery and collected prairie seeds. The gorgeous climate has been encouraging an overall positive aura around our crew. Though, the root shaker on the tractor can truly throw a back out if you’re not careful. Low-growing shrubs such as Downy Arrowwood require a good squat while shaking violently on a back tractor platform. The ride speed is feet per hour, yet the process of wrapping one’s arms around the root-base behind the tractor pull takes focus.

Bundling all the Elms and Oaks, Maples and Dogwoods, and all the rest of the rows of planted trees and shrubs takes time. After the process is completed, they rest within a refrigerator the size of a building over Winter. It is well worth the effort and funding, knowing we are reforesting previous farmland.

There are times in Life when we must take in the grandeur of the natural ecosystems we are within. Or, at least, I encourage you to find time to do so. Yesterday, our forestry crew helped harvest Grey Goldenrod, Heath Aster, Rough Blazing Star, Stiff Goldenrod, and Brown Capped Bushclover with the Wildlife Crew. The Crow-Hassen prairie is one of the most expansive in the state. At the end of the summer, the clouds are higher as the air is drier. After pointing this out, a rush of Life breathed into B___’s face. He was so focused on ruminating on problems with his roommate situation that he had completely omitted the landscape around him. “WOW!” he exclaimed, his mouth agape. Nearby M___ looked to him and up and smiled in agreement.

I’m pretty sure it was M___ who found the Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) that brightened the days of the Wildlife Department employees. The little fella was confirmation that their reintroduction last year was a success.

D_____ and M___ have concluded their leadership interviews and are grabbing their coats ending our hours-long breakroom retreat. B__ and R_____ have both taken the offered position. Our project host enters the nearly empty room right on cue to postpone our day with Invasive Species Specialist M____ due to the thunderstorm fast approaching. We are instead tasked with wiping and rinsing out the literal thousands of seedling pots. I have created a playlist to pass the next several hours of tediousness:

So Good at Being in Trouble by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Ready Able by Grizzly Bear

Indian Food by Dumbo Gets Mad

Elephant by Tame Impala

Inside Out by Spoon

Sunflower by Vampire Weekend

Tenderness by Parquet Courts

Lucy by Still Woozy

Feel It All Around by Washed Out

Andromeda by Gorillaz

Fugitive Air by Of Montreal

It’s Real by Real Estate

A week passes by.

Dat’s right, we’ here. Today we are attending the Three Rivers Park District’s 18th Annual Employee Meeting. The commissioner is here. Jeez, everyone is here. Man, look at this place! D__, P___, L____, the maintenance crews, the forestry department, the water department, the wildlife department, the park police, and all the rest of the 400 natural resource employees. I feel like the don is about to show up and start offering favors.

I just got John Moriarty’s autograph for my copy of A Field Guide to the Natural World of the Twin Cities. I just knew he would be here. I was so nervous when I went up to him that I asked for his signature. A lady next to him laughed and corrected me when I offered my pen.

Only a handful of CCMI members are here, yet we’re still being recognized and applauded briefly as introductions are starting. Attention is being cast around the hall by Natural Resource Director A____. She mentions our help with Buckthorn removal, prescribed burning, seed harvesting, tree planting, and wildlife surveying. She continues on, recognizing people who have put in 3 and 4 decades of service. Wow. My crew leader J___ sitting next to me is so ecstatic that he is officially…

…asleep. I guess I’m more captivated by the weight of people in this room than the rest of our restless crew. Or maybe I am captivated because of the gallons of black tea I’ve been consuming from the buffet. ooWwHHhaa!

Someone is giving a presentation on the history of the Three Rivers partnership with Scott County. Our speaker has reached the 1970s while I have reached a level of too much cafiene…cafeine…caffiene? J___ notes my hyperactivity and nods back off as the interorganizational committees are recognized for demonstrating implications of their improvedtransperancythroughajointproductivepartnership. I’m not a huge fan of the drug that is caffeine, but damn, this is a wordy presentation. BahH! Put down the pen and go to the bathroom, you distractible nincompoop. You, writing this. Holy bejeezus man. Go, gogogogo.

As I return from the restroom, the presentation has changed to the all-encompassing new park system 20-year plan. This would be more engaging if our crew wasn’t used as a dry run audience for the exact same slideshow a couple of months ago. It’s inherently boring, sorry not sorry, yet it does lay out the tangible framework of justifications to be able to pay the hundreds of folks in the room here.

These illegible past few pages should be edited before I forget what these scribbles may mean. I might as well before I crash like my mouth-breathing friend here. He’d probably be offended by me saying that. J___ is an agreeable oaf and I mean him no disrespect. He has been a good crew leader because he can always strike up a conversation. There was never an awkward silence because he knew how to engage crew members for hours. There is a naive happiness about him that is full of meme references and loud conversation. Yet, he still has the ability to be serious when warranted. He once wrote in my journal, upon request, of what he thought of the Corps. I’ll find it later and put it right here:

The Corps has provided excellent job experience, in my opinion, for my future in natural resources! I’ve been interested in natural resources since I was a kid, probably due to the years I spent camping in Boy Scouts. I went to school at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and graduated with a degree in ecology and environmental biology with a certification in GIS. This year has been a bit weird because of how small the crews have been, but I think we have a wide range of individual personalities and backgrounds which has made this year particularly exciting. I’m really interested to see how our harvesting and planting turn out. I think it will go well. (SIC)

J___ claps himself awake as the crowd applauds the conclusion of the gathering. We young folk are taking the opportunity to scatter amongst the higher-ups to quickly network. I’m using the clever line, “Hi, I’m networking,” get it? Because instead of my name I’m…this feels cliche. Did I just call myself clever? I feel drained. I’m holding up the crew! I need a nap. Gotta go! Good night.

Hey, that was a fun one to edit. This entry from the TRPD Annual Employee Meeting was 431 days ago. Another few pages or so and this Nissan Leaf will be fully charged again. Somehow, I feel this hobby appears to work out in my favor for my mental health. Making illegible notes into a story is so much more fun than expected. These thoughts are more agreeable when edited through a notebook. I can edit an entry into a cohesive storyline when it has any bearing. The edited entries can then be transcribed onto my laptop. The vast intricacies of Life help us contextualize reality and acknowledge that at least some aspects of the world will always remain incredibly interesting.

Wvabhing! Thank goodness. The car is fully charged and I was getting a bit wordy there. See you at the next station dear reader! Let’s see what Metal has to offer next when I get there.

Three weeks until Thanksgiving break.

Nursery Supervisor S______ says at our morning meeting that we are on schedule and ready to shift gears toward Oak Wilt containment. The completion of our Fall planting season had added another 1000 trees near Goose Lake in Elm Creek Park Reserve. I have helped in planting 864 of these trees and shrubs. They are part of the 9000 we as a division put into the ground this year.

Time to finish munching on this foot-long carrot so we can get to work. Today is the first proper cold day of the season. The gauge outside is all iced over, but with a little scrape, it reads 5 degrees F (-15 C). With six layers on, I am well prepared to be outside all day. I am thankful for insulated bib overalls.

We’ve hopped in the trucks and are traveling two hours to a site within the Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve. J___ and I are talking about Winter tires and candidate Andrew Yang’s $ 1,000/month stipend to every U.S. citizen platform. I would spend my share researching traditional farming practices in India. I so want to, as an idealist, but C_______ and I are starting to waver on travelling realistically. I only have $800 to my name and the vast majority of that is about to go toward living expenses. $2000 is coming in from the Corps soon and boy that will drain fast with rent. If we are to do this, we will not be able to have a tourist’s itinerary. I would drag us down financially and neither of us wants that. I don’t want to get stuck in India either. I guess it’s time to make the call.

I am glad my friend is a forgiving person. I cannot feasibly provide the financial stability required for such an endeavor. I wanted her to know that I respect her. India will always be on my bucket list if ever I do become successful and financially capable.

Lunchtime is here with the Three River staff. D___ says the main purveyor of the Oak Wilt fungus is a species of Nitidulidae, aka Sap Beetles. They are attracted to the sticky sweet spore mats and unknowingly spread it when they feed. His superior D__ _________ marked a quarantine around the infested area. D__ flies around in a helicopter as the fungus wilts the top leaves first which are much easier to see from above the canopy. He fishes explaining what our task is today and says, “Our duty is to save these trees.” I will have to say I agree.

B__ is opening up to us on a personal and vulnerable level now that the foresters have left. We work fewer days, but longer hours than them. Our conversation goes deeper and escalates our friendship. I remember staying up for hours a couple of months back on his couch with his roommates. He didn’t last long there in the Cities honestly. One thing that did stick with us was when we discussed with the full-time staff about building another nature center. The full-time staff were discussing that today amongst themselves. I hope they do. There is so much history to encapsulate regarding the 50 years of rehabilitation of the Crow-Hassan Park Reserve.

One week until Thanksgiving break.

I am drinking a frivolously frothy cup of London Fog tea at the Quixotic Cafe in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. I will no doubt be finishing this Metal Journal in the upcoming days. I finally ventured out to buy more ink and my next journal last night after work. I have a few topics I want to jot down before it is, after which I am meeting with a coworker to discuss our careers after the Corps term. She’s the one who introduced me to the program and said she wanted to hang out after work sometime. So here we are, well, she’s due in a bit.

I’m going to go over a few Life goals for conversation topics and general planning.

I would like to write about the female perspective on rural Indian permaculture and biodiversity.

I have a goal to live debt-free in a self-conceived Winter-ready solar-powered minimalist house.

What job will help me achieve this?

Maybe I could revitalize my grandfather’s country cabin that he didn’t see finished due to cancer. I could find forestry work out there in the North.

In a career dedicated to carbon sequestration through tree planting and management, I could culminate a realism of environmental stewardship. I would be able to justify living minimalistically with renewable energy and with service with a nonprofit. This may be a bit naive and unrealistic, but sometimes ultimate goals are a direction.

K___ has arrived.

After settling into a conversation, she immediately recommends looking into Mississippi Park Connections. K___ is happily telling stories about the nonprofits she has worked with. “A central nonprofit incubates host organizations into pooling resources for connecting realists with operations management, idealists with grant writers, and treasurers with cost-effective methods of implementations,” she explains, enlightened (SIC). I can’t help but smile at her dreams and enthusiasm. She wants to discover how she can find an ethical occupation for her to contribute to. Before I forget, Quixotic is playing a decent playlist:

No Woman by Whitney

Mr. Tillman by Father John Misty

Saying Goodbye by J.S. Ondara

Small Worlds covered by Rayland Baxter

Lez go! We have arrived at a career fair put on by the Corps. We’re ready to split ways. Talk with me, everyone. I am ready to branch out. Here in the back conference room of the flagship REI store in Bloomington, Minnesota, there are plenty of professionals to speak with. The DNR has a roving tree-planting crew. Natural Shores is implementing chemical-free practices in their greenhouses. Several private landscaping companies are here. A lady from the U.S. Forest Service tells us our Corps service qualifies us for their Public Land Corps Certificate. I am loving all the good work being done all around us, though there does seem to be a lot of chemical usage. Many of these organizations could benefit from holistic, organic, healthier planting operations that only a select few currently practice. These folks are nice, and the atmosphere in the room is positive. I do believe I am ready for an interview with a nonprofit called Casey Trees. Peace out.

Well, that was a nice pick-me-up. I’ve been writing this in my car at an aptly placed charging station in downtown Elk River where the farmer’s market stalls are set up in the Summer months. I have had one heck of a productive day all day, so I think I might just find myself going for a stroll with my phone off before finding a place to eat. Going for improvised walks exposes one to the native Ojibwe concept called mino-bimaadiziwin, meaning, ‘living the good life’. I now have hours of free time to rummage around the shops and to gander over the cliffs of the Mississippi River.

There are touristy display panels in the town square showing the history of the logging industry that built the community up in the 19th century. Main Street has been a great place to pause for many families for generations, mine included. Hell, I went to the century-old brick Handke School in its last year of operation as a first grader down the road a few blocks. The communal ‘Handke Pit’ remains a mainstay for sports and community events. A walk is warranted just for this wave of nostalgia of what once was.

The Sunshine Depot is acting as a corner to write in after my stroll. I still have a couple of hours until my Leaf has enough range to make the last leg. There are plenty of different shops to visit in the rivertown here, but I want something less touristy. As I entered just now, two men behind me immediately shot out arms for hugs all around. Nooks and crannies within local Midwestern towns always have their selection of townie regulars. Beyond the bar are wooden steps that lead to a back family section where gatherings and parties have occurred without disturbance. Kids are running around and underneath the open tables. I am behind an oakwood wall surrounded by old sports memorabilia and local photographs of musicians who have performed in the area. The music iS EXTREMELY LOUD IN HERE. It’s hard to focus on this sentence even though their playlist is warm for the family atmosphere. Stevie Wonder sings as a greasy salted pretzel with in-house made honey mustard is presented.

My mother just called, forcing me outside for a couple of minutes. She hints at skipping a full charge and opting for leaving when I am within range. She has begun cooking sweet potatoes and slicing up various fruits. She tells me of our relatives in the North on Lake Superior and the rare conversation she was able to have with my cousin V______. He has moved in with a lady I hear. The call was difficult as she has been justifying making the trek up there dozens of times when family from up there has yet to visit her over the course of over three decades. As I was just talking with her, I realize I am feeling sort of resigned about moving to Washington D.C. for the nonprofit I interviewed for two weeks ago. Especially during a charged election year. Wherever I do end up, I know I will be amongst fellow environmentalists.

This has been a happy holiday break so far indeed. I’m glad to be around riverfolk. They are kind people. Poor, yes, but nonetheless happy underneath. Kids are also running around in a park down the cliff side. A Willow tree has caught my eye before I walked back inside where I was greeted by James TayLOR’S FIRE AND RAIN WHICH BLASTS INTO MY EAR DRUMS. My high school-aged waitress meets me at my table. She is shy and I can’t hear her. As she clears her throat, a ball rolls under the table.

A young girl with huge eyes looked at us both brightly. She paused with curiosity, watching this fountain pen. I pulled up my feet to spot the ball and kick it out. She jumped back to her family and I smiled at her parents. I take the check and am heading out.

As a kid, our family went on dozens of road trips up to Lake Superior, dozens. Elk River was a way-point, even though it was a bit South of us. Under the main drag, and down a set of sidewalk stairs, there arises an aromatic tinge of cherry walnut sourdough, blue cheese and wild rice loaves, and French peasant bread. Frank and his Diamond City Bread was THE place to pick up baguettes to eat on our way up North. We would eat the whole thing together. Garrett Jordahl turned out to be a goof fit as a new owner once Frank retired out of state. He expanded upstairs with a pizzeria when I was in high school and allowed our family to stay waaay past closing hours for my graduation party. I highly recommend the Viva du Formaggio, it’s delectable. The creme fraiche with pistachio is delicious as well.

Well hell, since I’m here, might as well right?

I have found a seat paired with a glass of pinot noir while noshing on a rosemary flatbread appetizer. There is subtle crooning Italian music setting the perfect mood and classy ambiance for another entry. I think I might just indulge myself in this paper and pen for this last hour. Holy shit, sorry, quick just before I edit… I just realized this is the last entry. I wrote this yesterday! This journal is all caught up and oooooooooh my alternative pizza is here, fresh from the brick oven. Hot damn. Read ya later folks.

A freshly cut Cottonwood supplies a campfire on our last day before Thanksgiving break. Populous deltoides are native to Minnesota and can grow six feet a year, D___ is telling us. He is the highest-ranking forester here of a dozen people. There is plenty of food and a relaxed vibe, so basically vacation has already started to settle in. Coworkers are chatting about the interviews we each had at the career fair. My phone interview went well, but honestly, I don’t feel comfortable earning pennies in an unknown capitol city, especially during an election year. Moving to the East Coast with no money to my name as an urban tree planter is a lot of commitment. I could really fuck up my Life. The lady was chipper though, and we both enjoyed the conversation.

Above and to the right of where people are chowing down on hot dogs and potato chips, is a Silver Maple. R_____ is in her branches cuddled with about $1,000 worth of climbing gear. Forester E___ is there with him, two stories up, literally showing him the ropes. They look down to H____ who waves with a group being led off to mosey around the park to identify species. She helps identify Sugar Maples (Acer saccharum), Green Ashes (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), and American Basswood (Tilia americana). I joined her group earlier. She was pointing to a Linden from a distance, and never had I noticed before, there was the outline of a perfect spade shape.

B_____ has the harness on now after R_____ hobbled down. She proceeds to outclass us by limberly scaling the Maple. E___ is bringing attention back to the fire pit to recommend searching for various programs after our service here. He himself took courses through the National Outdoor Leadership School where he and a crew went backpacking for a month into the wilderness. How about that? He used the Education Grant he was awarded with his CCMI term. I should consider how to wisely spend my $7000 award without wasting it. E___ and W___ wish us all a happy holiday and head out. I am up next to take the reins for the tree climb.

I’m back from my photo op in the tree. Holy cow is that a lot of work. I did have fun monkeying around, but honestly, this may have just been my best opportunity for a profile picture. Our crew is sitting rather quietly as I relax back in my camp chair. The fire is crackling and the pen is audibly scratching away at the page. I sit smiling in the quiet.

My sister gifted me this Metal Journal as a Christmas gift when I was in elementary school. Thin magnets filled the covers and would eventually fall off, one by one, over the years. Consumed by the refrigerator or the floor. Sometimes the showy aspects of life that we think are going to happen need to be shed off to make way for who we are actually becoming. I have finally been able to finish what I started 13 years ago. In 13 years, who knows, maybe I will have accomplished a few items off of my bucket list. Maybe I will be ready to release this as a manuscript to a publisher. I am proud to be an American and a Minnesotan with aspirations in the field of natural resources. Serving with these Conservation Corps crew members has helped better my viewpoint on how other people view our local environmental impact on the world at large. I am proud of us.

We learned how to identify many trees. We learned how to drive all-terrain vehicles and box trucks. We learned how to prepare and reforest previously farmed land. We were trained on how to properly burn understory and prairie. We learned perseverance when pulling invasives in all types of inclement weather. We learned how to chainsaw living trees properly. We’re disaster relief certified, first aid certified, wildland firefighting certified, and tree-inspector certified.

The greatest skill I will take above the rest is to be able to plant large bare-root trees. Forestry Keeper H______ taught me how to effectively lay out trees in a field. Certain trees like to be around other species for a variety of nutrients, some trees like to be on their own. Some species like to be near a body of water, and others like to be more uphill. Some grow better surrounded by shrubs, while others grow best in stands. I can say for a fact I learned this fast when carrying 6-foot bundles of trees for five hours at a time. It is tiring, yet well worth the effort. A Forestry Keeper named E___, the guy who just left several minutes ago, spent this summer trimming roots in the box truck and handing them off to us. We drove that truck so many times I lost count. The best thought from this process is that there are numerous tree planting services just like us across the planet, reforesting ecosystems in all sorts of climates. This constructed system of reforestation gives joy and structure to so many communities. I will take this exhausting experience to my grave with a smile.

The capstone of our planting season was when our entire district of CCMI members came out on a Friday for a planting overhaul. Over 1,000 trees and shrubs went into the ground that day. We set tree after tree in hundreds upon hundreds of augered holes saying hello to the dozens of naturalists assigned to their sections, all talking amongst themselves with different conversations in every group. The Shakopee crew, the Water Trails Boys, the Metro Crew, R___ from Mississippi Valley, J______’s crew, M_____ and co., G_____, T_____, B__, J___, S_____, C_____, K____, D____, R____, S__, A_____, E___, C_____, C_______, A_____, J___, T______, S____, D_____, D____, Dorian, A_____, J____, and Matt. I will smile when I think of all the work that was accomplished this year, and all the acres that are being restored. We did our duty to fight the buckthorn onslaught! We helped communities such as on the Hmong farm in Rosemount. Many of us participated in the 1000s of acres that were productively burned. Many of the prairies were actively reseeded through a huge seed bank kept at the Crow Hassan Reserve. Most of us were able to survive the mind-numbing weeks spent spraying weeds and invasives. We were able to do all this on a $1000/month stipend. Seriously, there are many future land conservationists in this year’s group. With many stir-fries, bananas, and carrots, I spent hundreds of lunch periods admiring the landscapes we were benefiting. We did this to restore the indescribable natural beauty of this state. We did this for our natural dignity. We are our prairies’ protectors, our wetlands’ warriors, and our forests’ fighters.

End of the Metal Journal

I’m leaving Elk River for the final segment of the journal to the ol’ ranch out in the woods where I grew up. I’ll likely spend the morning cooking wild rice, butternut squash, and russet potatoes. I’ll shovel the driveway, relax on this grand vacation, and reread what I’ve written on this editing extravaganza today. I can still remember the smiles on B__ and M____’s faces during that perfect Summer day while we harvested native tall grasses when time seemed to stop.

Happy Thanksgiving. It’s time to head home. Thank you for reading.

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Copyright 2024 Casimir Curney. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.