New Trail Work done by students on Grand Property!
community service conservation project
39 Julian Elementary 4th and 5th grade students finished a trail from the bottom of the Grand Land property to the visitors center at the middle of the property.
This trail was started earlier this year by our local 6th graders. Along the way the students learned about the Horsetail fern and gave an informative presentation on the subject. The removal and future propagation of the horsetails they removed, formed a link in a chain of events that VMF has been training our local students to think about: local habitat and its survival. There were some horsetails that needed removing to complete the trail, with no other way around them.
This was a project that followed the Black Oak Seedling Project earlier this year, whereby, students collected local Black Oak acorns and successfully propagated them. The oak borer beetles have decimated many of our local oaks and this is one way that we can make a difference in their future survival. We now have 58 Oaks ready for transplant in the Fall.
The students used tools, previously donated, to carve out a foot wide trail through the conifers and local woodland plant life. The trail will serve as a destination for future groups seeking a cool hike on a hot day, as it is partially shaded. This will also be the site of a series of Art Conservation classes and a Nature Workshop in August. See future postings for details.
Due to a donation from Don Maddison, local wood carver, we have a rather large cedar picnic table that the students sanded to a silky smooth finish. See the pictures of happily working students! A good day was had by all. Much was accomplished, and conservation lessons were learned!
