Et cetera : AmeriCorps NCCC Maple 5 Restoring Riverbanks and Trails

AmeriCorps NCCC member Kailie planting a tree

AmeriCorps NCCC member Melissa digging a hole to plant a tree.

By Maple 5

AmeriCorps NCCC Team Maple 5 has been in Montpelier, VT since May 8th where they have being working with the city's Park and Trees Department for their round 2 project. Their service work involves removing non-native species to make room to plant native trees and rebuilding trails to reduce sediment erosion along the riverbanks. Their work benefits the community by making the parks look more natural and preserving the current riparian ecosystem.

In their first two weeks, the team of nine planted 302 trees all over the city in North Branch River Park, along the Siboinebi bike path, and the Winooski River Basin. To keep the plants healthy until they can be planted, the team and their project sponsor planted the trees in cloth bags at a local plant nursery so they can be easily removed at a later date. Last week Maple 5 worked with the Cross Vermont Trail Association to repair a trail that was damaged in the 2011 floods, they pulled 12 100-plus pound granite rocks up a steep incline to help prepare to build a bridge across a creek. This week, the team is continuing their work with the Parks and Trees Department.

Kailie Wulf, of Wenatchee, Washington, states; "I feel that I'm learning a great deal about how much work actually goes into preserving natural ecosystems, and I have a greater appreciation for all the effort that goes into it. I worked with a class of eighth graders planting trees along the riverbanks, their enthusiasm and desire to preserve their parks was really inspiring. I consider myself an outdoorsy person, and the nature of the work we're doing is really physically demanding, but also leaves me feeling accomplished at the end of the day."