By Eliana Rosenblatt (4 week volunteer)

This past Monday, we went out just a little beyond base camp to plant some trees. These trees are not just any trees, they’re part of a bigger project involving research into bee fences in order to repel Elephants from the field to protect livelihoods. The trees we planted where from Chiang Mai University and where all trees native to the area that the bees would enjoy!

We loaded up a bucket with trees and one of our interns Annika was the designated hole digger. I was raised in a city so I’m not much of an experienced gardener, although it really wasn’t too difficult. There’s something to be said about feeling the dirt under your hands. We would dig a small hole, gently unwrap the baby tree, and pile dirt on it. Stepping back and admiring my planted tree made this city girl feel like quite the outdoorsman.

We continued to dig holes and plant trees and it began to rain! While this made it slightly messier, I very much enjoyed planting with a little shower. I would say my favorite part of the entire experience was seeing the dogs zoom around us as we planted. They seemed to be having almost as much fun as us!

Overall, tree planting was a great experience! It was awesome bringing more life into this already very diverse area! I am hopeful that this beehive project will keep the Ele’s and farmers happy!