Figured out my volunteer group was doing more harm than good after 8 months

I joined a local river cleanup group in Austin thinking we were helping. Then last month I talked to a biologist who told me we were actually making erosion worse by pulling out certain plants. She showed me photos of how the bank had changed. I felt stupid. Anyone else realize their "helpful" group was messing things up?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_torres1mo ago

My buddy Jake was in a butterfly release group in San Antonio. They'd raise monarchs in captivity and let them go at parks during festivals. After about a year someone from Texas Parks and Wildlife told them they were spreading diseases to wild monarchs and messing up migration patterns. Jake said the leader just shrugged and kept doing it anyway. Felt real bad watching him realize they were basically butterfly poisoners.

maryh961mo ago

That whole thing is just another example of people accidentally hurting things they actually care about because they want a nice moment without checking the science first lol. It's like how everyone started putting out bird feeders without realizing they were spreading avian diseases until the experts had to step in. Sometimes the most loving thing to do is just let nature do its thing, even if it doesn't make for a good photo op.