Students, faculty, staff, and alumni volunteered in clearing brush and restoring trails
at University Park.
By Michael Briley
On that bright February morning at University Park, there were lots of smiles, laughs and camaraderie as diverse members of the 海角社区CI family gathered for a trail restoration project. They cleared brush from a section of an existing trail, to make access for everyone safer and easier.
The 51 participants included 海角社区CI faculty, students, staff, and alumni, as well as
including the Center for Community Engagement鈥檚 (CCE) student Trails Corps; members
of the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council; and local community members, as noted
by Jennifer Perry, 海角社区CI鈥檚 Executive Director of Regional Educational Partnerships.
All but the four Trails Corps members were volunteers.
鈥淧eople felt great about the work we were doing to ensure access to University Park,鈥 said Perry. 鈥淭hey loved being out in nature on a beautiful day. Many commented on the wonderful sense of community they felt working side-by-side.
鈥淚t was such a mix of people. It was the first time many had met each other. They also learned more about the many uses of University Park as we all watched walkers, runners, bicyclists, and others enjoying the park that day.鈥
Perry and others sing the praises of Jerry Mitcham of the Santa Monica Mountains Trail Council who has been 海角社区CI鈥檚 primary partner in trail restoration work on campus.
鈥淛erry is integral to our planning efforts,鈥 said Perry. 鈥淗e coordinates work in advance;
organizes and oversees work the day of; provides guidance; and more. He is the most
important person to our success in trail restoration.鈥
Angela Batoon, a junior majoring in Studio Art and student member of the CCE Trails Corps, agrees. Mitcham supervises her work on Santa Monica Mountains trails, and prepared Angela and other Trails Corps members for the trail restoration at University Park. 鈥淓veryone who gets to know Jerry will tell you what a cool and upstanding human he is,鈥 said Batoon.
鈥淚 see trails maintenance as a wonderful expression of love,鈥 she says. 鈥淭his idea that you are willing to go back repeatedly and service something that will eventually grow back. Trail work is often laborious, dusty and sweaty. It鈥檚 not glamorous, but it is beautiful.
鈥淏eing on trails has allowed me to reflect on many things like holistic health and environmental stewardship. I鈥檓 still learning so much as I go.鈥
