Saturday, October 12, 2013

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.




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