CLUB RECOMMENDS FAMILY FRIENDLY GOALS FOR TRAIL

In May seven Junior members of the Millard Fillmore 4-H Club were asked to serve as consultants to the Owasco Flats Nature Reserve. Youth, afterall, add a unique perspective about trail use - especially when the question is "how can we make this trail and natural area more family friendly".

The youth, grades 4th - 9th, hiked the loop trail and came up with several no-nonsense goals for the Owasco Flats Nature Reserve. The most basic of the responses included formalizing the trail. "How would someone know that this is a trail?" stated Brenna O'Brien as the group hiked the overgrown old railroad bed that parallels Rte 38. Club members also thought that a kiosk with information about the unique plants and animals in the area, and the history of the LeHigh Valley Railroad would be interesting, informative and would attract attention. They also suggested that signs near the water showing the common fish you can catch would be of interest to the fisherman. The other very common observation related to the overgrowth of poison ivy in the area. In many locations it was knee deep, and in all instances it is growing up the trees along the trail path. "There must be a way to get rid of poison ivy, other nature trails have to do it", commented Anna Carmichael, 11.

A couple of other very simple suggestions were offered: "The trail needs a litter clean up and signs to help people remember to clean this beautiful area up", commented Cara Carmichael, 10. Most of the trash found was left by fisherman using the area. Fishing line as well as bait containers and beverage bottles littered the Inlet side of the trail. And while the group counted more than 11 fire rings informally built by fisherman using the area, the youth thought that these areas could be formalized for safety and beautification. "If people are going to build fires here anyway, there should probably be fire pits where there is less of a chance of a forest fire", stated Brenna O'Brien, 11.

More sophisticated ideas were also suggested to enhance the use of this area by families. Club members suggested: a boardwalk over the muddy areas, and another boardwalk into the wetland area as a bird observatory, and occasional benches for watching the water and wildlife. And "If you really want to make this place fun for kids, you should add a forest playground, or swings to the parking area", added Summer MacAdam Gorham, 11. The youth also discussed the benefits of widening the trail for use by mountain bikes.

Club members appreciated being introduced to the scenic landscape and recreational trail offered by the Owasco Flats Nature Reserve. They really appreciated that their opinions were asked and that they were listened to. Since last May the Millard Fillmore 4-H Club has raised money to buy trail markers for the nature trail, helping to fix one of the problem areas that they saw. They have also taken a kayak/canoe trip up the Inlet and are committed this year to learning more about the history of the Owasco Flats and Cascade. No doubt, these youth are pleased to be partners in spreading the word about the gem that we have in this natural area.

YOUTH AND ADULTS PARTNER TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY FOOD PANTRY

What started last Spring as a conversation about potential ways that youth could help a the local food pantry, ended in a team of members from Rotary, 4-H and FFA growing over $300 worth of produce for the Moravia food pantry.

Moravia is a small town located in the Fingerlakes area of New York state, at the southern end of Owasco Lake, and 19 miles north of Cornell University. While farmland is prevalent, not everyone grows their own food. And, at a time when everything is expensive, the fear was that some families would not be able to afford to put nutritious, locally grown, fresh vegetables on their dinner table.

This effort went from conversation to planning stage quickly for a variety of reasons: the Rotary Club had an interest in community gardening to serve the local food pantry, the Millard Fillmore 4-H Club was actively involved in gardening and service projects, and the Moravia FFA annually planned and planted six raised bed gardens behind the high school for the purpose of education. During the summer months, while school is out the gardens were typically not tended to and any food produced was not harvested. The opportunity seemed obvious.

Partnering to achieve the goals of providing families with local, fresh vegetables was a relatively simple process. FFA agreed to plan and plant the gardens, with the help of 4-H youth. Based on the needs expressed by the food pantry – the group grew tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers. Rotary and 4-H took care of the plants during the summer months, bringing harvested vegetables to the food pantry for distribution. And FFA members, as a part of the their role with the demonstration gardens, put the beds to rest at the end of the growing season.

In order to keep a few common supplies handy and dry, the youth also installed a mailbox in the garden. The mailbox contained plastic grocery bags for collecting harvested vegetables and a notebook for recording observations as well as the quantity of produce harvested. Rotary also donated a rain-barrel to ensure an easily accessible supply of water.

A schedule for work throughout the summer was established and regularly distributed by e-mail (as a reminder). With so many participants involved, no one group, family or member was required to put in an overwhelming amount of energy. And, during mid growing season – when the weeds were overtaking the beds - it was decided that mulching the gardens with grass would reduce the amount of weeding and watering necessary and add to the organic matter in the soil. Comments in the notebook documented the success and appreciation for this change.

The first year’s experience was a good one for all of the partners. And, most importantly, recipients of fresh foods were delighted. There is talk of expanding the raised bed gardens next year, installing a compost unit and increasing the height and weight capacity of the tomato stakes. There is also a plan to further increase awareness about hunger and further promote the effort so that the rest of the community contributes by “growing a row for the hungry”.