Trails
                                                 
                                                  Conservation lands can host many different types of trails, such as
                                                  a hiking trail, interpretive nature trail, a bluebird trail, or even a nesting
                                                  box trail.  Mount Grace has involved youth in hiking trail creation and
                                                  maintenance, interpretive trails, and a nesting box trail. 

                                                  In 2011 a group of high school biology students were challenged with
                                                  creating a nesting box trail at Skyfields Arboretum for Eastern bluebirds,
                                                  Eastern screech owls, Northern Saw-whet owls, wrens, and local bats. 
                                                  In the process the students needed to find out information about each of
the organisms and then compare their knowledge to the land they wanted to place the boxes.  As a
classroom of "experts" they were able to collaborate and create the trail on paper, which they later
visited the land and placed all of the nesting boxes. 

During the field day one student commented, "This is the best project I have ever done!  It is not
just handing in a paper or making a presentation, we are actually doing something!"

Organism Information Links:

Little Brown Bat
Big Brown Bat
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
Eastern Bluebird
Winter Wren
Carolina Wren