NWA CHAPTER MEMBERS TEAM WITH PEA RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO IMPROVE TRAILS AT DEVIL’S DEN STATE PARK

Hikers see them all the time: unauthorized “shortcuts” off of a main trail that destroy habitat, increase erosion, and encourage others to make their own trails.  For three days, May 5-7, NWAMN members (Master Naturalists Steve Sampers, Bruce Pertle and Ralph Weber, and Naturalists-in-Training Bill Farrell and Bob Cox) supervised students from Pea Ridge Middle School to repair or hide these unwanted spurs off of three trails in Devil’s Den State Park – Woody Plants Trail, Yellow Rock Trail, and Devil’s Den Trail – as part of the Pea Ridge Outdoor School, held each spring at Devil’s Den State Park. Along with working on the trails, the students learned something about trail construction and maintenance and why it’s important to maintain habitat and prevent further harm to the natural environment. At the end, several students said that working on the trails was their favorite activity during the three-day school!