The Primeval Forest National Park holds volunteer days open to the public. This park was created to protect and conserve the natural Bahamian forest. Employees regularly check the forest to see if there is any plants or animals that are not native to the Bahamas, which ensures there are no invasive species. They also help keep the forest healthy and they build staircases and paths for visitors. Volunteers usually do the more simple and straight forward work.

February 24th, 2018 – Nassau, Bahamas

On February 24th, helpers arrived at around 8:00 am and we started work at around 8:15 am, after the park rangers had explained what we would be doing. Oranges, water and juice was provided to keep people hydrated from the hot sun. The park organized the day into three shifts, however, I was only present for the first two shifts. Shift one consisted of students and adults weeding the outside of the park. We were told that this was important for keeping forest fires away so that the outside of the park had no plants for a fire to catch onto, meaning it wouldn’t spread and damage the preserved area. They provided us with gloves, showed us which plants were unwanted and they demonstrated how to properly weed a plant — by grabbing it at its base and pulling it out of the soil, making sure all the roots are completely pulled out.

Around two hours later, it was time for the second shift. For this, we were inside of the forest. The instructors walked us over to an area that had benches surrounding a big mahogany tree. Our job was to seal these benches with a thin, sticky paint to protect it from water, preventing the benches from rotting. We all worked together, covering every inch of the benches. After this, they led us to another area in the forest that needed to be painted. It was a big wooden platform. Once we were done, at around 12:30 pm, we were given some oil to put on our hands to get rid of the stickiness of the paint.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience, however, I left believing I would not return to volunteer there again. They provided us with everything that we needed and they showed us what to do, but personally, it was dull. I loved being surrounded by the nature and biodiversity of the forest and I am also glad I learned a bit more about the things National Parks are required to do.