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Medical Leader News - Spring Break with a twist: Ecology Center opens doors to AppalachiaSpring Break with a twist: Ecology Center opens doors to Appalachia
KERMIT, W.Va. — The Web of Life Ecology Center, a non-profit program of Big Laurel Learning Center near Kermit, W.Va., coordinated two alternative spring break groups from March 24-29.
Eleven students and two adult leaders from St John’s Preparatory High School in Toledo, Ohio came with two contractors and volunteered a total of 432 hours. They worked mostly on construction projects with local community members, building a set of stairs, repairing an old roof, fixing a roof and gutters for a cistern, and building a chicken coop.
The group has participated in the center’s programs since it was started in 1999. Brendan Courtois, from St John’s said, “I realized how lucky I am where I live. I think I’ll appreciate things a lot more when I go home.”
A group of seven students from Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. also worked a week and served a total of 210 hours. Student leader Jason Zwara said, “We know one week is making some impact, but it’s probably pretty small for one community. The bigger impact is bringing that back.”
In addition to tree planting, students from Canisius volunteered in classrooms at Kermit K-8 and dug a pad for a cistern. Students from both groups prepared the grounds for summer activities.
The group also worked an experiment that will help monitor tree growth and species survival. This effort is a partnership with AmeriCorps VISTA and Ecology Center representative Matt Walker and Bud Baldwin, general manager of Southern West Virginia Resources LLC.
“It gives us the opportunity to explain to people unfamiliar with surface mining how we reclaim land after mining it,” Baldwin said.
The six-acre plot of land was prepared by ripping up stretches of tightly-compacted post-mined earth to allow roots to penetrate the material more easily. Gary Brown, owner of Mountain Forestry, directed the students in planting techniques.
This experiment used ideas from the Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) developed by the Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative (ARRI). ARRI tries to 1) plant more high-value hardwood trees on reclaimed coal mined lands in Appalachia; 2) increase survival and growth rates of planted trees; and 3) speed up the creation of forest habitat through natural succession. The Ecology Center will continue to work with SWVR on following the FRA techniques more closely.
The students planted American chestnut trees in an effort to reintroduce them to the area. The coal fields of Appalachia match up almost perfectly with what once was the natural range of the American chestnut tree before it was wiped out by a fungus. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining, “reclaimed surface mine lands in Appalachia make outstanding springboards to bring the American chestnut tree back into the eastern forest.”
The trees can thrive in coarse gravels and shales.
Both school groups were able to learn about this area’s people, economy and environment through the perspective of the coal industry. Students were also presented with opposing viewpoints on some issues related to the industry.
The Web of Life Ecology Center provides service opportunities along with environmental education programs throughout the year, including themed summer camps, outdoor classrooms, Project FLOW watershed education, alternative spring and fall breaks and Ridge Kids.
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