Back 5 Community Habitat Enhancement Project

What's the Back 5?

Since its inception in 2018, the Back 5 has been a space for curiosity, growth, and co-creation of a healthier habitat for wildlife, plants, and our community. Weekly volunteers work on removing invasive plants and planting native species. Student groups use the space to practice real-world conservation skills, such as taking plant transects, trail building, and surveying for amphibians and macroinvertebrates. Rather than rushing through the restoration process with herbicides or heavy machinery, we go slow and use the process as a learning and engagement opportunity. We use the restoration of land and biological communities as a tool for developing and sustaining our own communities.
‍
A guiding principle within the Back 5 is reciprocity, which can look like many different things. As we give our time, attention, and energy into caring for the land, we recognize the land is providing us with many gifts. As Robin Wall Kimmerer says, “All flourishing is mutual”.