Planting Trees in San Victor Part 2

Posing in front of a map of Monte de Oracion

Finally, we all came together and broke into four groups; two to clean up different river segments and two to plant trees in different places. The group I joined went with Megan to a public park called Monte de Oracion (Prayer Wilderness or Prayer Mount). It turned out to be a forested hillside with little shrines and structures and paths running throughout. After a short hike with our sapplings, we found ourselves on a hillside that had been cleared to plant bananas. We were to plant mango, sedro, and tamarind in between the banana trees as a stay against erosion.

I give a lesson in tree planting 101

After a run-through of the planting tutorial I've given to crews for two seasons with the Friends of Trees green spaces initiative, I handed out digging implements to three of the ten or so in my group and roved around in typical crew leader fashion. The soil was rich and dark and lately, it has been raining almost every day, so I have faith our little trees will at least survive the shock of being transplanted. The banana grove is also a ways away from maturity meaning that, for at least a little while, nobody will likely come to harvest, and thus trample the ground where we planted.

Megan looks on as scouts and primera dama youths get to work