The Mountain Watershed Association hosted a service learning opportunity with our friends from “Movement Outdoors” on our ICV trail system. Movement, as they refer to themselves, is a local non-profit organization formed out of a desire to serve young people in the region by encouraging outdoor recreation. Their mission is to “help kids access outdoor opportunities in the Laurel Highlands by breaking down the barriers of cost, knowledge, transportation, and community. We desire to promote physical and mental wellness as we encourage kids to put down their phones and connect with mentors and positive role models.”
Movement Outdoors is a young organization that has only been around for 3 years, but they have already secured a steady following of young adults. They target High School aged students and try to connect them to experiences in their community that will benefit them as they transition into adulthood.
The group of volunteers that assisted on the trail consisted of three adult leaders and three high school seniors. We started our day off by introducing the Mountain Watershed Association and what our organization does and educating them on the history of the region and ICV trail. We then took a short hike to our first work-site where we installed one of two memorial benches along the side of the trail. While hiking to our site we distributed some fact sheets on the invasive species we would be tackling later in the day and also spoke about our native flora and fauna that we are supporting by managing our trails with conservation in mind. The students asked questions and also got an insight into what a-day-in-the life is like working in the environmental field.
While with us the volunteers worked the ground using hand and trail tools and set two benches at two sections of trail and pulled large patches of Common Mugwort and Japanese Spirea, both invasives. We finished off the day clipping back and suppressing some dense thickets of multiflora rose at the Gorge Section of trail system.
In all it was a great experience for both parties. MWA received some greatly appreciated help managing our trail system and the Movement Outdoors volunteers appreciated learning more and getting to give back to the wild places they recreate.
