Woods Clean Up at the Hartland
North School Forest
Overview:
The Hartland North School Forest (aka the Marschalek Woods) is a 4 acre space used by the community and the 4k-2nd grade school. Every class in the school has outdoor ed once a month in the woods where kids learn about birding, seed dispersal, maple syruping, building igloos, planting native plants, removing invasive species, and about all the insects and animals that live there (among other things). The woods boasts an outdoor classroom, a mud kitchen, a musical forest, a loose parts lab for play as well as areas designated for growing native species. In the summer the woods hosts a weekly story hike for community members geared towards young children.
Please join us from 1:30-3:30 pm on Sunday, April 21st to help with a woods clean up in honor of Earth Day that week.
What to expect:
We'll meet Courtney Marschalek who teaches outdoor education classes as well as leads the weekly community story hike. She will give us a brief intro to the forest and then put us to work. Exact jobs will be determined based on what is most needed at the time of our visit, but examples may include helping mulch the trails and pulling buckthorn.
Capacity & Age Recommendations:
All ages are welcome and we have open capacity for this project. Members will be able to register for the first week and then we'll open registration to guest families if space remains one week prior to the project date.
Where to park:
Park in the Hartland North School lower parking lot (at the dead end of Church Street near the baseball field). Look for the school forest sign at the edge of the woods near the parking lot. Go straight down the trail next to the Marschalek Woods sign and we'll meet in the outdoor classroom.
What to wear:
Wear clothes and shoes that can get dirty and are comfortable to work in the forest. Feel free to bring along gardening gloves if you have some.
REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
This project is currently open to members* but we will be happy to open it up to guests if there is available space approximately one week prior to the project date. Please only sign up if you know you can attend. We understand illness and emergencies do come up so if you register and can no longer attend, please let us know ASAP so we can fill your spot.
Thank you for lending a little hand!
Amanda Barnhart
Board President
*While we rely on member donations to keep the good work going, we never want the $40/family/year to be a hurdle to volunteering with us. If you are in need of assistance, we do have a limited number of scholarships available that are 100% confidential, just email and ask!
