On Saturday mornings, It’s Our Wild Nature volunteers gathered around a fire with breakfast and strong coffee, surrounded by trees and the soft songs of birds. They enjoyed the morning before they ventured out to the woods.
It's Our Wild Nature, a conservation organization in Columbia is working to protect Columbia’s natural areas after losing the battle to stop the city from paving the Shepard to Rollins trail. Since the trail opened in July 2020, It’s Our Wild Nature has been working to restore the land by the Hinkson Creek River to its natural, pre-colonial state.
"It’s Our Wild Nature’s goal, or vision, is to advocate for and protect all the wild spaces of Columbia… And that’s what we’re doing now."Sutu Forte
It’s Our Wild Nature began in 2007 when neighbors Barbara Wren and Sutu Forte, It's Our Wild Nature President, united to advocate against a bike trail in the natural area near their homes.
“We were called the passionates," Forte said. "That was a first. ... It’s Our Wild Nature’s goal, or vision, is to advocate for and protect all the wild spaces of Columbia… And that’s what we’re doing now.”
For more than 10 years, the group protested the expansion of the city’s concrete trails along Hinkson Creek.
In 2018, It’s Our Wild Nature bought the land where the city wanted to build — which is now the It’s Our Wild Nature Area.
But eventually, a portion of land was seized by eminent domain and construction plans were finalized. It’s Our Wild Nature sued the city and lost. The construction company the city hired, Emery Sapp & Sons, cut down 39 native mature trees to finish the trail in July 2020.
That same July, the group started meeting at the nature area every weekend.
"We started pulling up the nasties that were in the soil that they brought, and started planting seeds and plants," said Forte. "What you're seeing here is almost four years later.”
Lauren Haley, a volunteer, had clippers and a chainsaw to make hacking away at the honeysuckle easier.
“It's about every five feet you step in this woods," Haley said. "It's like half of the forest if not more, and we're just trying to give some breathing room to the other plants and soil.”
Kyle Hiller, natural resources student at MU, helped another volunteer identify the invasive honeysuckle. The team worked along the bank, chopping away one branch at a time.
“If you were to ask me what I want to be when I grow up, it would be land – I want to do land restoration, which is kind of what we’re doing right now," Hiller said.
Eventually, the day started to wind down. The tools were gathered. The gloves came off. But the conversation never stops.
Now, the group is also talking about their latest project to protect the Gans Creek recreation area from new mountain bike trails.
Wherever the organization takes its members, ultimately, Forte’s mind is locked in on helping mother nature:
“She is who we are," Forte said. "And we are who she is. That’s our mother. That’s our life."
