Girl Scouts Green Up Lyme Hill
The first Green Up Day was held in Vermont in April of 1970. Since then Vermonters have joined together each spring to clean up our road ways from litter. New Hampshire doesn’t have an official Green Up Day, but many communities and organizations in the Upper Valley have come together on the same day as Vermont’s Green Up Day to hold their own outdoor clean up gatherings.
On May 4th this year UVLT was happy to host Girl Scout Troop 30175 at our Lyme Hill Conservation Area for Green Up Day. Throughout the day they accomplished a lot! The troop learned from UVLT’s Lyme Hill Trail Adopter Tara McGovern how to read trail maps, including distance and elevation changes, as well as the principles of “Leave No Trace”. She also covered how to choose the correct tool for the job, and how to use and care for them.
After learning the principles of trail maintenance the group learned about the importance of water diversion on trails and cleaned out six water bars that had become clogged over the winter. They also removed branches and other debris along the trail, and removed broken wood “curbs” on two foot bridges and installed new wood in their place (including measuring, cutting and nailing the pieces into place!)
The Girl Scouts ended their day by playing team building games and hiking to the top of Lyme Hill! We are so thrilled that these capable girls could utilize one of our conservation areas not just for ‘Greening Up’ but for learning important skills and getting in a little play time as well. Great job ladies!
