Many volunteers will take to the Clear Creek Trail tomorrow to clip, snip and tidy up the Silverdale pathway.
Family Service Day at Clear Creek Trail is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The 2009 National Trails Day event begins at the Clear Creek Saq’ad Interpretive Center at Bucklin Hill and Levin Road in Silverdale.
Clear Creek Task Force member Mary Earl said there will be seven stations along the trail to suit all age and skill levels. Clear Creek Task Force members will be at each station to give directions and a little encouragement to the volunteers.
Earl said tasks include blackberry and scotch broom control, boardwalk repair, watering recently planted trees and trash removal.
“Mostly it will be blackberry and scotch broom and ivy control,” she said.
Earl said she expects a large number of volunteers to turn out for tomorrow’s National Trails Day event. She said 80 people attended a Clear Creek Trail work party session in January, so the warmer temperatures could draw an even larger crowd tomorrow.
“If this weather holds, maybe we’ll get a good group of people,” Earl said. “People just love to help out.”
Earl said people enjoy volunteering to maintain the Clear Creek Trail because it’s a large part of their lives.
“I think because they think the trail is theirs and it’s an easy thing to bring the family out and whack a couple blackberries and make the world a better place,” she said.
Earl said there will be a lunch of hot dogs and chips from 1 to 2 p.m. and people can register for a free drawing of 10 essentials to take on a hike.
“We’ll sit around and tell stories about how the blackberries got you,” Earl said of the lunch.
People planning to work on the Clear Creek Trail tomorrow are encouraged to bring their own tools, such as clippers, loppers, gloves and sturdy shoes. Tools will be available for those who do not have the appropriate gear.
For more information or to register for Family Service Day at Clear Creek Trail, visit the trail’s Web site at www.clearcreektrail.org or e-mail clearcreektrail@yahoo.com.
