Et cetera : NCCC Team at Tree Museum

Cedar 3

Nathan Bolick shoveling wood chips into a truck to be used on trail

By: Trent Roberts

AmeriCorps NCCC team Cedar 3 is working with Taltree Arboretum & Gardens in Valparaiso, Ind.

To date, Cedar 3 has made progress clearing invasive plants - including multiflora rose, autumn olive, Asian honeysuckle, hawthorn and black cherry - from several of Taltree’s larger areas. The team has also helped improve Taltree’s children’s garden by laying red granite and woodchips on trails and assisting in the construction of an open-faced shelter made of logs cut from the arboretum. Members of Cedar 3 also assisted with transferring a donation of one of the area’s largest rose collections from a private collector to Taltree.

On Saturday, April 6, Cedar 3 conducted a volunteer project as course marshals for the Valparaiso YMCA’s annual Ringing in Spring 5k and 10k run. Cedar 3 helped direct runners and monitor intersections to maintain safety on the course. Cedar 3 had another volunteer project assisting Habitat for Humanity on April 13.

On April 20, Cedar 3 hosted a community day alongside Taltree staff in celebration of Earth Day. The community day theme was the conservation of monarch butterflies, which will soon be beginning their migration back to Canada from Mexico. Different activities include guided hikes, a reading station, a craft table, and several other stations that will help children learn about and appreciate nature and the monarch butterfly.

Taltree is a public charity that offers over 360 acres of reserved woody plant collections, gardens, woodlands, savanna, wetlands, and prairie with more than four miles of hiking trails that allow visitors to experience the natural biodiversity of the landscape. Cedar 3’s goal is to help Taltree conserve and restore their natural areas and ultimately improve the quality of life and increase economic vitality in the South Lake Michigan region.