Trail work continues at Broughton’s
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A wetter-than-usual spring and early summer prevented mowing and normal maintenance on the trails at the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area in Marietta, officials said.
"Every effort is being made to catch up as weather permits," Leight Murray, chairman of the committee, said. "Most trails are currently free from deadfall and tall grasses."
The Broughton Foundation manages about 700 acres of woodland trails in the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area and Rudolph Family Farms.
Goals for 2023 included updating and replacing the large maps at each of the principal park entrances at the Devola Multi Use Trail parking lot, the James-Fisher Riverside Park and all 34 trail intersection maps throughout the Broughton trail system.
The trail intersection maps were removed, repurposed, updated with new maps and re-installed in mid-April by volunteers Frances Ruckesbosch and Kelly Nicholas, and members of Girl Scouts Troop 10129, which is led by Laurel Nicholas.
Ruckesbosch and Kelly Nicholas also assembled and volunteered to install more than 600 trail blazes using colored films applied to PVC boards to mark each trail by color. They received the Girl Scouts Silver Award. Girl Scout Troop 10129 will host a picnic at the Broughton Nature and Wildlife Education Area in their honor.
"We can't thank these young ladies and their leader, Laurel Nicholas, enough as we finally witness this long-awaited project finally come to fruition," Murray said.
Volunteers also are restoring and maintaining native landscapes, a process known as ecological restoration. The stewards led by Mark Krivchenia identify areas where invasive plants not native to the region and harm the biodiversity of the native ecosystem have established themselves.
After clearing the invasive plants, the group sows seeds of native plants that are appropriate for that area.
"Ecological restoration focuses on repairing native ecosystems and seeks to return them to an earlier, healthier state," Krivchenia said. "The goal is to increase the native biodiversity to the ecosystem. This allows native plants and wildlife to flourish."
Anyone wanting to volunteer can contact the foundation office or Krivchenia. Announcements of upcoming workdays and other information can be found on The Broughton Foundation website and social media platforms.
The Rivers Trails and Ales organizers have scheduled two hikes at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 12 and 13 on the Broughton-Rudolph trails. Hike leaders on 3 to 4.5 mile hikes are Mike Austin, Krivchenia, Katy Lustofin, Pamela Moore and Murray.