![\"Student](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/08\/Haoyang-Blog-Pic-1-Main-Me-at-workplace-scaled.jpg\")
There\u2019s a moment at Conestee Nature Preserve when the noise of the city just\u2026 fades. Maybe it\u2019s when you\u2019re standing on the boardwalk by West Bay, watching a great blue heron glide across the wetland, or when you crouch down to listen\u2014really listen\u2014to the frogs tuning up their nightly chorus. It sneaks up on you: the realization that nature is not some faraway thing. It\u2019s right here. And it needs care.<\/p>\n
My name is Haoyang Liang and I’m a rising junior majoring in Sustainability and French. This summer, as an Environmental Steward Fellow, I\u2019ve found myself tangled (sometimes literally) in the messy, rewarding, often surprising work of preserving this urban wild space. I\u2019ve spent my days clearing overgrown trails with loppers and a hedge trimmer in hand, digging out the invasive poison ivy, and rebuilding washed-out steps with lumber and a lot of sweat. Alltrails<\/a> thinks I\u2019m hiking. Really, I\u2019m just working.<\/p>\n Some days are quiet and methodical\u2014like trimming back kudzu under a rising sun, one careful cut at a time. Others are unexpectedly emotional, like the morning after a storm we found a trio of baby raccoons had fallen off a downed tree (they were soon cozied up in a shoebox and some towels until the animal rescue arrived). I\u2019ve learned how to use tools I\u2019d never touched before, like handsaws and gas trimmers, and developed a deep appreciation for water breaks, sunscreen, and teamwork.<\/p>\n Conestee Staff working alongside volunteers<\/p><\/div>\n I also had the chance to step into the educational side of Conestee, helping with the Water Strider summer camp program. Working with the education team gave me a whole new perspective on how nature is introduced to younger generations. I assisted with guiding nature walks, prepping hands-on activities, and herding a group of energetic, bug-obsessed kids through the forest. Watching campers get excited about dragonfly nymphs or trying a spot a fluttering woodpecker reminded me why environmental education matters so much\u2014it creates the next generation of caretakers.<\/p>\n Water Striders exploring ReWa’s water treatment facility<\/p><\/div>\n But my role hasn\u2019t only been on the ground. I\u2019ve also helped with Conestee\u2019s outreach and communications\u2014filming Instagram reels, sitting at tabling events, and chatting with curious hikers about what we do. There\u2019s something special about seeing a child light up when they spot a box turtle basking or a butterfly landing on milkweed. Being part of a space that inspires that kind of wonder feels like a privilege.<\/p>\n Conestee Nature Preserve isn\u2019t just a pretty place\u2014it\u2019s a living, breathing reminder of what urban conservation can look like. Once a toxic mill pond, it\u2019s now a state designated wildlife sanctuary, home to more than 200 bird species and countless quiet stories unfolding beneath the canopy. You can learn more about the preserve and support its mission at www.conesteepreserve.org<\/a> or on Instagram @conesteepreserve.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in Greenville, come take a walk. Or better yet\u2014grab some gloves, come volunteer, and get your hands in the dirt. You might be surprised by what you find: a lost otter, a rare warbler, or maybe even a new sense of purpose.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s a moment at Conestee Nature Preserve when the noise of the city just\u2026 fades. Maybe it\u2019s when you\u2019re standing on the boardwalk by West Bay, watching a great blue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1731"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1735,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1731\/revisions\/1735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Conestee](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/08\/Haoyang-Blog-Pic-2-Conestee-staff-working-along-side-volunteers-scaled.jpg\")
![\"Water](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/182\/2025\/08\/Haoyang-Blog-Pic-4-Water-Striders-exploring-ReWas-water-treatment-facility-scaled.jpg\")