Above: Nobleboro Central School School students work with Coastal Rivers Stewardship Director Brad Weigel to haul away the limbs of a large red oak that had fallen across the school trail.
For the second year running, Coastal Rivers staff and volunteers are working with groups of students at both Great Salt Bay Community School (GSB) and Nobleboro Central School (NCS) to improve and expand the school trail systems.
Once a week, Coastal River educators meet with students in Nobleboro’s Center for Alternative Learning program to spend time outside learning and working on the school trail. They are often joined by stewardship staff for bigger projects, such as building bog bridges, spreading mulch on the trail, or removing downed trees.
At GSB, members of the “Outdoor Club” are students who choose to spend their study hall going outside to work on the trails. “I’d rather be out walking and doing hands-on work,” one student said.
That doesn’t mean the students aren’t learning. This week, they got a quick lesson in tree identification from Coastal Rivers Education Director Sarah Gladu before heading outside to walk part of the trail and practice identifying trees. Eventually, the students want to create labels for common tree species found along the trail. They also plan to install a kiosk that was donated by Coastal Rivers, and are working with Coastal Rivers and Rhumbline Maps to create their own map of the trail system to put in the kiosk.
In addition to learning how to tell the difference between a maple and an oak tree, participants at both schools are gaining valuable skills such as project management, setting goals, and working with a team. “The students have directed the work all along,” says Sarah.
The students’ end goal is to enhance the trail experience for students, families, and staff. In addition to trimming brush, building bog bridges, and adding mulch to improve the trails, they have spent time removing invasive Asiatic bittersweet vines and, at GSB, preparing an area for a woodland garden. If weather conditions aren’t favorable for a work day, the group may choose to simply go for a walk or go snowshoeing on the trails.
