Interpretive Signage Trail Opening!
On April 28, the Institute for the Environment unveiled its Interpretive Trail signage through the Natural Area. This multi-year project titled: “Your Watershed, Your Lake: an interpretive trail encouraging control of invasive species and wise land use to improve water quality in the Champlain drainage” was made possible by partners in environmental stewardship, The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program and NEIWPCC under Professor Declan McCabe’s guidance with artist Maja Smith, and content editor Sandra Murphy. Professors, students, and members of the community gathered at the Teaching Pavilion to celebrate the completion of displaying informative signage throughout the expansive Natural Area. Professor Declan McCabe welcomed everyone to the space, sharing the history of farming and environmental erosion that has occurred on this land through the years. Then, Leaf Reiderer, an Institute for the Environment student worker who has contributed many hours to the Natural Area initiative, led visitors on a tour of one of the trails. Luckily, the group had a beautiful day for exploring, we even needed some sunscreen! It was a wonderful opportunity to see the connections that Saint Michael’s College has with the community through our natural spaces and gain more insight into the role our land plays.
Many students don’t realize this, but Saint Michael’s College owns 365 acres of land just across the road from our main campus. The Winooski River floodplain wanders through the space, and it is home to hundreds of native species. You can even encourage your professors to take your class out into the wild and utilize the beautiful teaching pavilion that stands right at the mouth of the Natural Area! And if you are a professor, well, this resource is right across the street!
The Interpretive trail signage aims to educate and inform visitors to the Natural Area about the significance of the space they are exploring. There are a variety of marked trails throughout the land (one of which Leaf guided us on). These trails are open to the public as well, and you will often see members of the community coming and going. For the birders out there – the Natural Area is actually a top hot spot in Vermont to go birding. A quick look at the checklists on E-bird, will show you avid birders can be found out there tracking their spots at 4 am! If you want to try your hand at birding, pop into the Institute for the Environment office and sign out one of the iPads, which are equipped with all sorts of identification apps like Merlin and Seek! For a fun added adventure to your trail walk, you can take part in our scavenger hunt as well. Beautiful student-drawn animals are hidden throughout the trails for you to discover as you walk!
We are so excited for this new addition to the Natural Area! The Institute for the Environment encourages everyone to keep an eye out for the new signage. Read about the wonderful role Saint Michael’s College plays in our beautiful Vermont ecosystem!
Edits & Contributions from the Leahy Graduate Assistant Team