In the Wild & for the Wild

Finding meaning in small acts of stewardship

THE CURRENT JOURNEY

The Small Steps Toward Conservation

“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.” - Aldo Leopold

One of the things I like to do as a photographer is photograph conservation volunteers. The amazing work they do for no other reason than they want to do something good should be celebrated. Conservation volunteering, indeed all civic volunteering, is noble work. These are the types of efforts that help with climate change, biodiversity loss and creating natural spaces for our communities.

We don’t acknowledge volunteer work enough in my opinion.

Blue river & blue sky at the Big Thompson River - © 2024 Heather Valey

On the Big Thompson River - No Snow

On a beige friday morning in December on the Big Thompson River in Loveland, Colorado, I photographed a volunteer group removing invasive Russian Olive trees from the banks of the Big Thompson river in Loveland, CO. All of the grass and trees were in dormancy, but it had been unseasonably warm and dry, so there was no snow to beautify the scene. The only color that popped was the blue of the sky and the water.

Sawyer, Scott James, dismantles a Russian Olive tree on the banks of the Big Thompson River in Loveland © 2024 Heather Valey

A volunteer group called “The Norther Colorado Sawyers” and volunteers from the Butterfly Pavilion’s Urban Prairie project met up on the banks of the river to clear invasive and problematic Russian Olive. They spread out along the edge of the river cutting away at the gnarly tangles of Russian Olive and applying herbicide to the stumps.

(NOTE*) The volunteers running the chainsaws are called “Sawyers” and the volunteers moving the cut limbs are called “Swampers”.

This group of Sawyers have been working to remove Russian Olive from this area of the Big Thompson River all summer. They were passionate about their work, but with a sense of humor, calling the effort the Russian Olive Massacre.

Scott James, founder of the local sawyer group, holds up a t-shirt he had made for the volunteers © 2024 Heather Valey

So What Makes Russian Olive So Bad?

These light green trees are considered noxious weeds in Colorado, which means the local government make serious efforts to eradicate them. These trees take over waterways crowding out native willows and cottonwood trees. It makes habitat unappealing for beaver, who like to eat willow and cottonwood, and for songbirds who rely on insects that find their homes on willow and cottonwood. They spread very easily because of their prolific fruit and their ability to spread through root suckers.

Russian Olives were once considered beneficial as a windbreak and as a landscape tree in Colorado, but are now listed as “List B” species by the Colorado Noxious Weed Act. It has been illegal to sell them at Colorado nurseries for over 20 years.

Russian Olive leaves & fruit - stock photo via Canva

It’s a Big Job That May Never End

There is so much Russian Olive growth along the water ways in Colorado it seems like a fruitless and daunting effort. But each act of stewardship along our waterways adds up. Every removed tree makes room for native willow and cottonwoods.

Thanks to these volunteers who spent their mornings removing these trees to increase the water flow and let our wetlands begin to heal as willows and cottonwoods fill in the newly made empty spots.

(L-R) Volunteer Sawyer uniform, Sawyer Paul Liscom, Herbicide used to treat Russian Olive stumps, Volunteer Swamper from the Urban Prairie Project (c) 2024 Heather Valey

Thank you Volunteers!

In this age of climate crisis and biodiversity loss it feels like no one is doing anything to change things. But honestly that is not true, and when one feels like that, it is time to stop and celebrate the small steps that people and groups are taking, many times unnoticed. All of these things add up and do make a difference. We have a tendency to want to return the land back to a pristine state, but to think that way is overwhelming. To simply return the ecosystem to a functional state should be our goal. Each instance may seem inconsequential, but every act of stewardship counts in this ongoing battle for conservation balance.

Inquiry

What types of things do you do, no matter how small, to make a change for the earth?

Want to Learn More?

• Colorado Noxious Weeds

• Russian Olive in Colorado

• Northern Colorado Sawyers

• Urban Prairies Projects

CURRENT VISIONS

The Magic of Winter Weather

Before January the landscape was uninspiring, brown & dormant. All we needed was some snow and fog to make things interesting!

Winter scenes from the Colorado prairie (c) 2025 Heather Valey