Seven stalwarts attended the October Newhall Work Day. Shown below from left to right are David and Julia Buzzard, Lynn Hodgson, Karen Lucey, Sal Gioia, and Matt Mattoon. Not pictured (by popular demand) is Newhall Co-Chair, Fearless Leader and photographer Bob Clemens.
Lynn, Julia, and Karen cleared vegetation around a copse of magnolias near the parking lot. They also clipped the bases of vines in the pines around the parking lot pollinator garden, expecting them to die and eventually fall back of their own accord.
David and Sal addressed a “bump in the road” on the Newhall trail where the new stone surface ended near the pond. The dirt surface had to be reduced and the stone built up to make the slope more manageable.
Bob and Matt cleaned out our owl boxes and refreshed the wood shavings in each. One owl box, which was quite far from the parking lot, has been relocated off the northwest corner of the parking lot. All in all, a successful Work Day!
The most recent and most visible improvements to the Preserve are in the three bulletin boards shown below. Kudos to Shannon Wilkinson, Rosemary Staples, and Julia Buzzard, who have prepared the new displays, which will be updated as appropriate. Also, a new Venmo QR code was added to the donation post to encourage gifts to support the Preserve.
Finally, our appreciation to Mike Kizis and Sal Gioia, who used their design and drafting skills to sketch plans for a proposed new “welcome kiosk” to house our three bulletin boards and an enlarged Trail Map. Sarah Gustafson has requested an ATAX grant to cover the cost of construction.
As always, we welcome suggestions regarding the Preserve, and they can be addressed to co-Chairs Jack Coleman at jjcolema@iupui.edu or Bob Clemens at Rclemens318@gmail.com.
Our next Work Day is on Saturday, November 11 from 8:30 to 9:45 AM. Donuts and water provided! RSVPs are helpful, but not necessary, to rclemens318@gmail.com.