Summer Volunteers Get the Job Done

Why do our trails, lawns, and buildings always look so good? Because we have
some spectacular volunteers that dig in the dirt, haul gravel, push mowers and
sling paint.

It has been a busy couple of weeks, and we’ve got a lot of projects finished
thanks to our volunteers. On Tuesday, June 29, sixteen students from Penn State
Student Activities offered their services for 4 hours and worked on our trails.
The installed Rolling Grade Dips (RGDs) on the Point Trail and the Shale Road to
assist in erosion control. Four volunteers from Stone Mountain Adventures
stopped by on Friday, July 2 to help us with spreading mulch around our campfire
seating and repairing a culvert down at the bottom of the Shale Road. Penn
State’s Upward Bound program brought out 40 students to volunteer on Wednesday,
July 7. This large group did a lot of great work on our trails, including
finishing some RGDs, building a stream study access area below the Sugar Shack,
clearing brush on three trails and resurfacing the Point Trail.

Within those two weeks, we have a had a few regular volunteers coming to the
Center 3 or 4 times a week to get their hands dirty. Matt, Adam, and Paul have
been doing a terrific job sharpening tools, mowing lawns, clearing trails and
painting. They also help me complete a lot of the day-to-day tasks at the
Center, and I am very appreciative of that!

So the next time you visit Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, and you see a
group of people with tools in their hand and dirt on their faces, thank them for
making this place shine!