During the Spring semester of my 2nd year at Texas Tech, I was sitting in the Student Union Building scrolling through TechAnnounce when I came across an advertisement for a weekend service trip in Caprock Canyons State Park. Growing up, my family went camping every chance we got, and Caprock Canyons was a location we ended up setting up camp at quite often. I remember hiking in the canyons and chasing prairie dogs in Honey Flat campground years ago, so when I saw the Raider Service Break ad, a sense of nostalgia washed over me and I knew it was a trip I couldn’t miss.
I managed to convince my boyfriend, who is also an outdoor enthusiast, to join in and head off with me to work in the State Park with other fellow Red Raiders. At the beginning of the trip, I was nervous to be working with people I didn’t know and nervous to be doing any sort of service in the park to begin with. I wanted to make a difference and be useful, but I wasn’t quite sure how I would be. When I found out that we would be cleaning graffiti off of the canyon walls, the task sounded challenging, exhausting, and frankly, doing it in the summer heat, seemed absolutely daunting to me.
The drive on the way to the state park immediately changed my entire view of the trip. As the group in the van began to chat, I realized that I was surrounded by people who were just as passionate about the outdoors and making a difference as I was. I began to realize that the group was hardworking and ready for anything to come.
After entering the ranger’s station and filling out some paperwork, one of the park rangers began to explain in more detail what kind of work we would be doing in the park. The ranger lit up as she explained how the work we were going to do would impact not only Caprock Canyons State Park, but how it would begin a movement to help other State Parks, and National Parks in regard to bringing awareness to park graffiti/vandalism. The vandalism that the rangers were seeing in Caprock was showing up all over the U.S., but with little recourses to try and rid of the damage, the graffiti was spreading all over the park, she even used the words “graffiti breeds graffiti”. Seeing one person’s name carved into the canyon wall was enough to convince several other people to think it was okay to carve their name as well. It was up to us to work hard to show how much of a change you can make in a weekend, and to teach others about the damage that was being done and how it could affect not only our generation, but future generations as well.
Carving into canyon walls, rocks, trees, even park signs, makes the park look less natural and could even in ways effect the environment in negative ways. It is our job as campers, hikers, kayakers, climbers, etc., to do our best to leave no trace in the parks and to preserve them the best we can so that others can enjoy them the way they should be enjoyed.
The three days that we spent in Caprock Canyons was spent working as a team to clear graffiti using wire brushes, hammers, and chisels. The work was hard, but so rewarding. Seeing the difference, we made and how the rangers responded so positively and enthusiastically to our work felt great! Knowing that our work was making a difference and hopefully going to start a movement to change the way our parks are being treated, was so important to me and I was so proud to be a part of that movement.
As someone who enjoys the outdoors and spends the majority of my free time doing outdoor activities, it is important for me to see that our parks are being taken care of. With State Parks and National Parks being so underfunded and relying so much on volunteer work to keep the parks in order, it’s hard to keep up with maintaining the park when you’re outnumbered by the number of yearly visitors. Seeing the damage that was done to the park and knowing that I could make a difference in the future too by driving out a State Park as close as Caprock Canyons to not only clear graffiti, but also help to pick up trash, clean campgrounds, and clear trails, was so exciting for me personally. I definitely plan to devote more of weekends to volunteering in the park and maybe in the future by even working for the State/National Park program in the summer. I want to be to take my children and my grandchildren hiking and camping the way both my parents and grandparents did, and I want for them to be able to enjoy the beauty the National and State Parks have to offer the same way years from now. We can all work together to make this happen by cleaning up after ourselves, packing out our trash, staying on the trails, or being cautious and conservative when straying off the beaten path. Remember to always leave no trace and #LoveyourTexas.
- Jennifer Hicks