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    New England District Earth Day celebrations a success despite wind and rain

    New England District Earth Day celebrations a success despite wind and rain

    Photo By Elizabeth Gosselin | Even the youngest members of this family took part in cleaning up along the Cape Cod...... read more read more

    CONCORD, MA, UNITED STATES

    04.20.2019

    Story by AnnMarie Harvie 

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District

    Torrential downpours and high winds did not dampen the hearty New Englanders who ventured out into nature to roll up their sleeves and get dirty during New England District’s Earth Day celebrations, held April 13 at West Hill Dam and April 20 along the Cape Cod Canal and Hodges Village Dam.

    The annual Trail Work Day at West Hill Dam in Uxbridge, Massachusetts was delayed for a few hours to let the heavy rain pass through. Soon after the rain subsided volunteers went straight to work. West Hill’s partner, Bay State Trail Riders, brought members out to clear five miles of trail and performed upkeep work on water bars and culverts at the beaver and bog area.

    “They did a nice job and it wasn’t easy as the water is very cold this time of year and you have to lie on your stomach to get to the culvert,” said Park Ranger Viola Bramel, event organizer.

    The West Hill Dam team and the Bay State Trail Riders have enjoyed a partnership spanning over 25 years.

    “We have been working with Viola for a long time now,” said Becky Kalagher of the Bay State Trail Riders Association. “She has such a positive attitude all the time and she knows so much!”

    In addition to the trail work, over a dozen scouts from Boy Scout Troop 14 from Bellingham, Massachusetts lent a hand clearing downed limbs from wind and storm damage.

    The Cape Cod Canal Team and their partner, AmeriCorps Cape Cod held their 19th annual Cape Cod Canal Cleanup despite 30 mile per hour winds and morning rain.

    More than 150 volunteers walked up and down seven miles of the Canal banks and picked up over 500 pounds of trash. This year the team had another partner join the cleanup party.

    “This year we were joined by Cape Cod Moves, a local non-profit who plans events and partners with events that provide opportunities that encourage wellness and helping others and the community,” said event coordinator, Park Ranger Elisa Carey.

    The new partners provided the local band, “Wicked Trio” to entertain volunteers n addition to cooking breakfast and lunch for cleanup participants. Despite the high winds, there were still some educational booths and activities open during the cleanup.

    “AmeriCorps painted faces, Mass Audubon had a shorebird match game out, volunteers made paracord bracelets at the LL Bean Tent and the Ocean Protection Advocacy Kids Inc. had a microscope set up to look at microscopic animals that live in the ocean as well as the tiny pieces of plastics floating around with them,” said Carey.

    Die-hard volunteers at Buffumville Lake/Hodges Village Dam did not wait for the rain to stop – they held two events going on simultaneously and everyone was eager to start.

    “We hosted our first ever Earth Trails Day Clean-up,” said Park Ranger Jamie Kordack, Buffumville Lake. “We had four rangers and 21 volunteers come out for this event.”

    The volunteers, which included one Cub Scout and one Boy Scout Troop, broke into five groups – two on the East side trails and three on the West. “The two-hour event was held entirely in the rain, so these were brave volunteers.”

    So brave, that according to Kordack, the scouts were seen playing in the rain, completely unphased by the weather. The teams picked up trash, moved downed limbs off the trail, also known as “sweeping" the trail, and used loppers to cut back pokers.

    Just down the way, Cadette Girl Scout Troop 30304 from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, created three 4’x4’ pollinator plot gardens as part of their Silver Award Project.

    “The project they chose was to create pollinator wildflower plots to help enhance habitat for bees and butterflies,” said Park Ranger Nicole Giles, Hodges Village Dam. “Through extensive research, they chose native wildflower seeds including plants for caterpillars to eat! They are also currently raising Painted Lady butterflies which will be released into the gardens in a few weeks.”

    Giles said that pollinator gardens are important because habitat for pollinators is declining rapidly each day due to construction, deforestation and heavy pesticide use.

    “It’s important for young people to get involved because education, research and action are the only ways we as humans are going to attempt to save the bees from decline,” she said. “It’s important to educate the next generation about the environmental issues they have inherited and it will purely be up to the young people to change what they see.”

    Volunteers at every age are crucial to the stewardship of public lands. The hard work performed at all of the projects will assist in the maintenance of the projects and enhance the recreational experience of thousands for months to come.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.20.2019
    Date Posted: 05.13.2019 13:03
    Story ID: 322227
    Location: CONCORD, MA, US

    Web Views: 23
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN