Finally it’s May! I say that mostly because it means that it isn’t April anymore, and I say that because April was incredibly busy. I told you a little bit about the Granite Creek Cleanup but it hadn’t happened as of my last blog entry. It was a huge success! It was also a huge job. Most of the in-town part was handled by the other staff members, so I’ll just concentrate on the Watson Woods part of the project and refer you to the blogs of the other staff to get the whole picture of what happened.
In last month’s blog, I told you about the artists’ day in the woods where artists came and took anything they wanted from our giant debris pile which had grown through the efforts of lots of different groups over many months. We don’t have a weight of what they took but my educated guess is about 2 tons (it’s gone now, so who can argue?). I can’t wait to see what they turn it into. The next day YEI came out and help me load what the artists didn’t take home and we took it over to the transfer station where Richard Tyree and his staff helped us weigh, unload and sort the stuff with smiles and courtesy. The final tally for that load was 1 ton. Then last Friday (April 29) Decision Point came out and helped us pick up and move another 1100 lbs. to the transfer station for a total of over 3½ tons of rusty metal, tires, and trash taken out of the Preserve and disposed of properly. On the day of the Cleanup which was April 23rd, a crew led by Cathy Trent from State Farm Insurance came out (for a second year) and did a particularly difficult cleaning of the slope of the Prescott Lakes Parkway Bridge. That slope was planted (densely) with Honey Locust which is a very thorny tree. As trash blows off the bridge (mostly from passing trash trucks) it sticks on the thorns and is really ugly. Cathy’s crew had to climb through the Locust trees on a very steep slope and pick up trash using “grabbers”. It was a job that would punish anyone who dared slip on the slope by scratching them with thorns. I’d like point out here that a (apparently) very good friend of mine, Brad DeVrise volunteered to come out and work along with Cathy’s team…thanks Brad! In the end, they very cheerfully picked up eight big bags full of all sorts of trash that was added to the pile back at cleanup headquarters in Granite Creek Park.
The rest of the day was eventful, but you’ll have to read Ann-Marie’s blog for a rundown.
May will not be as eventful (hopefully) as April but we are planning to turn on the irrigations system in the Preserve and I still could use some help with that. See last month’s blog for details. Out in the Preserve, all the plantings are all starting to leaf out. I’m particularly encouraged to see both last year’s and this year’s trees and shrubs coming to life. It’s so much work getting them in the ground that it’s a relief to see their buds open up. I highly recommend going out and taking a look at all our new trees shrubs growing in places where only a year or two ago there were none. Another option is to call or email me to set up a time to take a tour of the project.
Until June, take a hike, watch some birds, go for a bike ride, sit in the woods, but most of all, enjoy the warmer weather.
Jay