We chipped, we partied . . . at the Field Station
Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007
What happened at the Field Station on Saturday, Dec. 8, would most likely not qualify as a real party by some folks of the younger set. We had no loud music (although the chipper hummed a noisy tune) and we did not dance (although we moved around a lot) but we did have a great time at the Fall / Early Winter Chipping Party, an event that has become a tradition.
We had an incredible turnout on a cold, snow-covered, Christmas-type day. Temperatures were frigid but that was made tolerable by a bit of sunshine, hard work and a bonfire around which marshmallows could be toasted and hands warmed. By estimate 35 to 40 folks of various ages and extractions came to celebrate nature and the change of seasons with a cup of hot chocolate, a walk on the labyrinth and a hefty bit of physical labor that produced over three tons of wood chips from tree limbs and brush. What a way to spend quality time outdoors with friends!
Some who came to this sixth Chipping Party arrived early and many stayed late to visit. They came locally and from other parts of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. They represented college students, professors, alumni, community friends and even children who, as one would expect, used the snow to make two snowmen.
Many of the tree limbs -- around which this day's project centered -- had blown down when a storm hit our area in June. The Field Station was promptly opened to the community as a depository for these broken and gangly pieces of timber. So, instead of being summarily burned as trash, they have now been remade into a good material for the environment. These wood chips will, of course, find their way into eventual compost that is a current and favorite activity at the Field Station.
But what happened on that Saturday was more than an eco-friendly event. The day had an aura, a spirit, about it that cannot easily be described in words. Emotions ran high as friends separated by years reunited. Two of these were students in the days of a January travel course to Ecuador. They had both been scuba divers with me in the Galápagos but had not seen each other for 10 years. Two others were students and scuba diving friends of mine from similar courses in the Caribbean years earlier. Another was a local family who regularly makes a trip to the Field Station and enjoys outdoor activities, especially those that involve riding the John Deere equipment we use! Student clubs like Sierra Student Coalition, Circle K, Psych Club and Tri- Beta were represented. We interacted. Alumni were introduced to the present batch of students who will, someday, look back through the nostalgic eyes of alumni and remember coming to the Field Station for an unusual party.
The reasons to venture out, chip and party were varied but similar. Here are some of them. Dena class of '93: "I barely noticed the chill of the day for all of the warmth of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones over smiles and steaming hot cocoa. And with that noisy chipper, it was great to see people silently cooperating -- waving each other ahead, sharing ear protection, helping each other bundle wood." Molly and Sarah, ages 9 and 7: "The best part was finding the biggest branch and then watching it get pulled in and turned into chips!" Natalie: "Who would have thought going out in the snow to throw endless piles of branches into a woodchipper could be so gratifying? Maybe it was the campfire smell, the hot chocolate, or more likely spending a morning outside with people whose friendships never fade with time." Greg, class of '87 and Martha, class of '91: "We enjoy lending a hand at the Bio Farm whatever the occasion. It is a chance for the 5 of us, ages 7 to 43, to come together, get dirty, make a difference and enjoy the company of great people." Laurel, age 12: ". . . it was fun with snow, doggies, food, tractors, flying chips and big machines." Carol and Bernie, ages 10 and 7: ". . . it sounded like fun, and it was fun." Nawal, Class of '06: "Every time I come back to the Field Station I find myself immersed in a world that always seems right. There is a sense of hope and renewal that bonds each person to one another and connects us to the earth."
This was another historic day at the Field Station and if plans hold there will soon be a similar chipping party in February when Christmas trees, spent from the holidays of December, will join the tree limbs that came down in June. And eventually the mix, the compost, will be returned to the soil, as it should be! That will be a very good Christmas gift for mother earth; a gift that keeps giving and giving!
Clarence Harms, Director
Field Station
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