Two teachers and 11 students attended Green Team’s service trip to the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge on Dec. 4 to participate in outdoor work such as planting and weeding.

South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, the organization that organizes these events, aims to transform 15,100 acres of land back into wetlands. The San Francisco Bay Area has destroyed 85% of wetlands through industrialization, so to combat these effects, the project plans activities according to its three tenets: restoration, recreation and protection.

At the project’s event that members of Harker attended, participants planted a variety of species in the marsh areas at the center to ensure that animals have enough plants to live off of, either for habitat or food purposes, when water levels rise during the spring and summer. Green Team member Eric Zhang (10) initially doubted attending the trip due to final exams but later found that the scenery helped clear his mind.

“Just being able to spend time outside and away from school, especially as finals start approaching, was really nice because the refuge is a very scenic place — you look out and you see tons of water and wildlife,” Eric said.

Other activities included clearing the area of invasive species to limit the destruction of ecosystems and laying down mulch, which produces healthier soil and inhibits weed growth. As Green Team plans out activities for second semester, they hope to center more events around planting native species with activities such as volunteering at the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden.