Et cetera : NCCC to Improve Environment with Hamilton County Parks and Recreation

By Kevin Zachary NCCC team, Cedar 1 is serving from September 10 to November 2 with the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department (HCPR) in Noblesville, Indiana. The team is working on a variety of projects that will contribute to the upkeep and beautification of the parks. The team will work in 11 of the county’s parks, which are used for leisure activities, exercising, outdoor education and observing wildlife to name a few. Cedar 1 will play a huge part in removing honeysuckle and other invasive plant species which are spreading rapidly and taking over local populations of vegetation, unsettling the natural balance of the ecosystem. The team is also constructing a boardwalk through the parks as well as repairing trails and making the land more accessible to the public. The team is participating in programs and activities put on by the HCPR such as the haunted trail hike (a haunted house on one of the parks trails), archeology month (where archeological digs will take place along with a food planting and harvesting), corn harvesting and Native American education (building a wikiup and learning about the lifestyles of local tribes).