How did you celebrate Earth Day this year? 33 middle school students from the Friends School of Baltimore celebrated with a day of volunteering at several different locations across the county, including Irvine!
Baltimore Friends has partnered with Irvine for volunteerism for well over a decade! This year, the students helped with several different projects. They started out down at Irvine’s campsite. After some quick team building activities, the students got to work weeding the campfire ring and dismantling our broken down 3 Sisters Garden. Unfortunately the spot we had chosen for the garden was much too wet! It will be relocated to a drier area in the upcoming year. The students all worked together to remove the tricky stability poles! They then sorted through the materials to see what could be reused and what could go back to nature to decompose.
Next, the students helped with some much needed mulching on our lower trails. Mulching is incredibly important for the trails at Irvine. Between student field trips, preschool classes, volunteers, staff, and visitors, there are many pairs of feet walking our trails each day. Overtime, this pressure compacts the soil, and makes it much less permeable. Adding a fluffy layer of mulch on top absorbs rainfall and reduces puddling. With all the rain we’ve had this week, it has been incredibly helpful to have a puddle-free trail!
Thank you again to the Friends School of Baltimore Middle School students!
