The Tale of a Fall Project: Nature Trail Signs

Since my retirement from teaching in 2008,

one of my fervent desires has been to upgrade

the Sandhills Farm Life Nature Trail to make

it a first class community resource.

The trail has been re-routed, widened, and 

erosion issues dealt with.  These improvements,

plus a nice layer of hardwood chips, make the

trail more inviting than it has ever been.

This fall I undertook a project to create new

signs for the trail that would be attractive, rustic,

and informative.  The original trail signs, posted

in 1985-86, were numbered posts, which required

a trail guidebook to be of any use.  Although my

classes utilized the guide books, they had many

limitations.  No one wants to carry a guide book

along on a nature walk, plus, they had more infor-

mation than the casual stroller would want.

As of October 1, 2013, new signs with names

and identifying leaf outlines have been posted

or attached to selected plant speciments (and

Big Rock!)

This blog post walks you through the story

of the signs.

After I identified more than 20 plants and

sites that I wanted trail visitors to be aware of,

I wondered about what types of signs to use.

Commercial signs would be expensive.  I've

always liked rustic looks, and when I happened

upon a wood-burning tool at a thrift shop I

began to envision making my own signs.  In

the end, though, I didn't use the wood-burner.

Instead I used a wide-point and a fine-point

permanent marker made especially for writing

on wood. I selected a smooth white wood.

The writing took only an afternoon. For the

leaves, I had collected samples, printed them

at the size I wanted, then traced them on the

soft wood with an old ball point pen.  Then I

went over them with my fine point marker.

Here's my whole collection of signs--

in a nutshell, so to speak.

Since I had chosen a soft wood, I gave the

signs (with four holes already drilled) three

coats of UV resistant spar varnish.  Courtesy

of former student Joe Waldschmidt of

Sandhills Paint Center.  The process took three

days for drying between coats, and waiting was

awfully hard for me.

Here are some of the signs that would be

attached directly to some larger trail specimens.

Do you remember any of these "old friends"?

Next task was to put the signs on treated

posts.  I was delighted with how my search

was resolved.  I had seen some old, used

posts that the Village of Pinehurst had stacked.

I inquired and learned that the man in charge

was an old friend, W.C. Morgan.  He gladly

offered enough old posts for my project.  Since

I would be sawing off 30 inch pieces, it didn't

matter that posts were damaged or had rotten

spots.  The coolest thing is how it fits in with

the theme of  Reduce, Recycle, Reuse.

(I was reusing old posts most people would not

care for, and reducing the cost of my project!)

Many a student has tried to help me straighten

Old Man Poplar's back.  But I think one day

he will fall, along with his new sign.  How do

you think it looks?

Trail icon Jack, Will, and Tom were never

hard to spot.  But now people will stop 

mistaking them for Jim, Waldo, and Ted.

They lobbied hard to get three separate signs,

but I persuaded them my way was best.

Big Rock was the non-living thing that

couldn't be forgotten.

This gas auger allowed me to drill all the

necessary holes and place all the signs in

a single morning.  The wagon was a big

help, because I was hauling other tools

along the entire trail route, too.

As anyone who has used a post hole digger

can verify, it's not something you want to

do every day.  Even with the gas-powered

version, it was a workout.

So, just like before, you can enter the

Sandhills Farm Life Nature Trail just beside

the fence to the right of the ball field.

But now you might actually 

know where you are!

I tried to place signs close to the samples.

Some will be hard to identify when they lose

their leaves this fall.  But they will all be back.

I'm not sure if the leaves of sourwood taste

better in spring or fall.  But these look like

something besides humans has had a taste.

Netted-chain fern is one of at least four

types of ferns on the north side of the stream.

At least three other types of ferns are found

on the other side of the stream, but that area

is no longer an "official" part of our trail,

since it is not on school property.

No longer standing tall in the pulpit in the

fall, the red berries remind us that Jack-in-

the-Pulpit will return in full force next Spring.

The pine trees on this portion of the trail

are loblollies, not the longleaf pines the

Sandhills are generally known for.  We have

some specimens that appear to be quite old.

And as we gaze up at the beautiful canopy

of the nature trail, one which is changing each

day, now that it is autumn, many trees and

fascinating plants gaze back at us, desiring

to share their story with you.

I hope you and your family and friends will

find time to visit your trail this fall (or winter

or spring).

In a soon-to-appear blog post, I will provide

a virtual walk through the trail that can be used

by classes or interested individuals.  It will include

all signs (more will be added later), photos, and

links to further information for research.

I'd say the SFL Nature Trail has a bright future.