AmeriCorps NCCC Team Brings St. Marks Trail To New Heights

nccc team 325.gif A team of thirteen AmeriCorps NCCC members, based out of Sacramento, CA, has come to St. Marks to work with the Florida Trails Association to build a 90-foot boardwalk over a portion of the Florida National Scenic Trail that is normally flooded a majority of the year.

Along with building a new boardwalk, the team has been maintaining and clearing new sections of trail in the St. Marks area, Bradwell Bay Wilderness, and Auscilla River area. They have been lead by a long term volunteer of the Florida Trails Association who has taught them how to clear and maintain the trail by hand.

The boardwalk will help protect a cypress/tupelo wetland, which drains into the Wakulla River. Keeping hikers off of the wetlands will help to protect the fragile ecosystem by minimizing the impact to the area. The rerouting and clearing of new trails has eliminated approximately three miles of dangerous road walk along a busy highway keeping hikers safe.

“This has been a great experience for us to learn about hiking trails and all of the hard work that goes into building and maintaining them. The St. Marks area is a really beautiful place to hike and connect with the wildlife,” said NCCC team member Carman White.

Incorporated in 1964, the Florida Trail Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit volunteer organization that builds, maintains, protects, and promotes the 1,400 mile Florida Trail, one of only eight National Scenic Trails in the United States, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. Our volunteers also build and maintain other trails on public land, known as the Florida Trail System. With 18 local chapters FTA provides educational opportunities for people to learn to appreciate and conserve the natural beauty of Florida, as well as recreational opportunities for hiking and camping.

AmeriCorps*NCCC is part of AmeriCorps, a network of national service programs created to improve the environment, enhance education, increase public safety, and assist with disaster relief and other unmet human needs. The Western Region campus, located in Sacramento, Calif. serves Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and the territories of Guam and Samoa. The Western Region campus is one of four campuses in the United States; the others are located in Perry Point, Md.; Charleston, S.C.; and Denver, Colo.

NCCC members, 18-24, must complete at least 1,700 hours of service during the 10-month program. In exchange for their service, they receive $4,725 to help pay for college or to pay school loans. Other benefits include leadership development, team building skills, increased self-confidence and the satisfaction of knowing that they have made a real difference in communities across the country. AmeriCorps is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. For information about applying to an AmeriCorps program, call 1-800-942-2677 (1-800-94-ACORP) or visit the website at www.americorps.gov .

- Submitted by Carman White, AmeriCorps

This article originally published on January 24, 2008.