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Wistron Foundation’s volunteer recruitment in 2022 was warmly received. In total, 50 Wistroners volunteered to undergo training in July 9, during which a professional wildlife ecosystem lecturer Wei-Yu Wang gave a detailed introduction of alien animal and plant species to teach volunteers the difference between native, alien, and invasive species and their effects on the ecosystem. A mobile phone photography class was arranged as well, with Mr. Yu-Wen Chen guiding volunteers to explore the beauty of Fuyang through a lens. After training, the volunteers began participating in working holidays. Everyone was invited to visit the working holiday sites on July 22 and August 13 to witness how much blood, sweat, and tears the volunteers had put into their tasks. A Fuyang with Wistron volunteers radiates the natural rays of sunshine, adding both beauty and hope to the natural environment.
Wistron Volunteers are taking it seriously! —@Guardians of Fuyang habitat, Pai-Hsien Chen
Wistron volunteers immediately went into training mode as soon as they started the training course on July 9. In general, holiday workers usually form two groups. One group removes alien plant species, such as arrowhead plant and dumbcane, that have affected local native vegetations, to prepare the soil for growing native plants. The other group helps build a diverse frog habitat in the wetland ecological observation area, so that Taipei tree frogs, which are popular in Fuyang Eco Park, are able to return to their habitat or that other frogs are able to live or breed their offsprings in the park.
To remove alien plant species, areas along the walking trails are divided into different zones. Because natural parks are different to urban parks which have flat roads, hundreds of kilograms of plants must be transported manually. On hot, humid days, it generally takes around 10 people to move 5 bags of plants (1 bag weighs around 15–20 kg), but 10 of our Wistron volunteers were able to move 10 bags or >450 kg of alien plants in total. This fruitful outcome is twice the amount that would have been moved by general holiday workers.
To build a habitat for frogs, the volunteers had to establish a perimeter in the wetland ecological observation area, remove grasses, and excavate the muddy soil in water. Because the soil was fully saturated with water, it was much heavier and required a lot more effort to complete this task. Finally, the sight of water streaming into the new frog habitat is both fulfilling and rewarding.
In the post-pandemic era, Wistron volunteers took action to protect the Fuyang Eco Park with their hand and together, promoted the ecological transformation of parks to enhance the quality of parks. Thank you Wistron volunteers for your effort to preserve the last bit of green in the city.
An encounter with two princes in Fuyang! —@Wistron Foundation, Yan-Hua Tsai
The first working holiday event “Wistron Volunteers, the Guardian of Fuyang” was held on July 9. Volunteers reported for duty early in a hot, 34-degree C morning to remove alient plants and build wetland habitats in Fuyang Eco Park. Today, the volunteers performed outstandingly, removing twice as much alien plants as normal. The wetland group also successfully built a habitat for frogs. Wistron volunteers had worked tirelessly and assiduously!, a team of volunteers under the park’s administration office said with admiration. We share images of two volunteers hard at work:
One volunteer climbed high up a tree, with a sickle in his hand cutting down exotic species to save the tree whose survival was threatened...
Another volunteer removed exotic species and grew native plants, working incessantly even when all other adults have tired out...
Looking at both volunteers reminds us of a quote in the book, The Little Prince: “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.” We welcome everyone to meet your inner little prince in Fuyang Park.
Working hand-in-hand for our ecosystem! —@Wistrong Volunteer, Pei-Yi Su
Thank you Wistron Foundation for organizing this Fuyang volunteer training and giving me and my child an opportunity to learn the profound impact that alient plant species have on our ecosystem. During our tour around the park with Mr. Chen, we were struck by the sudden sight of dumbcane, devil's ivy, arrowhead plants, and various other indoor plants inside the park, but only after Mr. Chen’s explanation did we realize how these alien species have invaded the living space of native ferns and alocasia odora. Looking up, we saw arrowhead plants covering an entire tree and competing with it for nutrients. The plants grew tall and lush, overwhelming the native trees. This image is both shocking and harrowing. We had thought the dumbcanes flourishing on the mountains were beautiful, but now we know they are actually killers of native plants in Fuyang Park. The assistance of staff is very much needed during working holidays. We would like to thank the staff for giving me and my child the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful event and restore the ecosystem for our mother nature.
Everyone is feeling happy and fulfilled as they do their part for the natural ecosystem.
A mobile phone photography class was arranged at the end of the working holiday to cultivate volunteers’ observation skills.
Our volunteers are happy to serve and make Fuyang Park a more wondrous place!