POULSBO — Fish Park was awash with volunteer spirit as more than 150 teenagers and a handful of Rotarians dove headlong into two projects June 24.

The teens were part of a youth conference led by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and worked around Nelson Park and the eastern part of Fish Park, clearing blackberries and other invasive species and building trails.

Members of the Poulsbo-North Kitsap Rotary Club got their hammers swinging and built a viewing platform near Lindvig Bridge.

“We were able to get a lot of work done today with the two groups,” said Fish Park steering committee member Tom Nordlie.

The teens added 175 feet of new trails to the park, using wheel barrows and hand tools, Nordlie said.

“We’ve got a lot of youth who are going to take ownership of the park now,” he said.

By building the trails and clearing blackberries and other weeds, the youth are giving back to their community in a way that not many teens do, he said.

“It’s great to see a group of kids like this out here,” Nordlie said.

Each year, teens attending the LDS youth conference perform community service projects as part of the experience, said Trent Rencher, who led the group.

“We did a project in Silverdale last year and this year we’re at Fish Park,” said Rencher.

Each year, Rencher said he searches for volunteer opportunities in the weeks leading up to the conference, which is held annually in June.

“I talked to (Poulsbo Parks and Recreation director) Mary McCluskey and it turned into a project at this park,” Rencher said.

The goal of each project is to make a positive impact on the area while teaching the teens a lesson about giving back to their community, he said.

“This was just fabulous and it’s been a unique opportunity for our kids,” Rencher said.

While the teenagers were limited to hand tools, the Rotarians had saws and drills at full power as they quickly assembled the second viewing platform at the park.

“We’ll probably do a couple more of these,” said Rick Landers as he led a crew of 10 Rotarians in constructing the platform.

The club has done other projects throughout the city, but Saturday’s was its first venture into Fish Park, Landers said.

“It’s something we take pride in — giving back to the community,” Landers said.

For local architect Larry Craig, the work June 24 was the continuation of a lifelong passion.

“I’ve been a builder all my life and that’s what prompted me to be an architect,” Craig said.

Having all of the different civic groups working on the park together is great, he said.

“I’m so proud to live in a community where different service organizations are so involved,” Craig said. “I got into Rotary first, so that’s where I’m staying.”