Et cetera : NCCC Oak 1 helps create prairie at Nahant March near Davenport

Joe Reilly of Oak 1, ready to go to work.

Oak 1 members have been clearing brush to make a prairie near Davenport.

By: Kymberly Copple, Oak 1

AmeriCorps NCCC’s Oak 1 spent three days in Davenport, Iowa helping the staff of Nahant Marsh to clear away unwanted brush and debris to restore prairie land. The NCCC team spent 288 hours cutting down small bushes and trees.

NCCC members used chainsaws, loppers and rakes along with driving a Gator to clear and haul loose branches and leaves to the compost site, which was less than 5 minutes away.

The first day the team used loppers and rakes to cut down unwanted bushes to start clearing the land. Joe Reilly, Stephanie Ferguson and Laurie Mills helped clear a hole in a beaver dam to help control water flow; the three wore chest waders, and had a lot of fun.

On the second day at Nahant Marsh one of the staff arranged an alternate spring break with the local high school. The NCCC team worked with the high school students for 4 hours. The second and third days the team split up into groups and raked leaves and other loose branches, hauled bigger branches off to the compost site and cleared off the trailers that held the debris.