Cape Elizabeth High School senior students volunteered with the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust for 1-2 weeks at the end of May, to carry out their Senior Transition Projects. This is an annual event that makes a real difference in our stewardship work caring for our many properties. Thanks to Milo Frothingham, Grant Kelley, Fae Kinsella, Brian Lane, Phil Nelson, Adel Shir, and Wyatt Stoughton for their help!
With many hands, we were able to finally address some of the projects that required some teamwork. The week started with cleaning the large tent at Turkey Hill Farm so that it can be properly stored and ready for future use with our middle school programs. At Robinson Woods, students removed ocean debris from Pond Cove, moved dirt by the dam, dug and carried out large pieces of metal from far back in the woods, and took down obsolete signage high in the trees thanks to ladders and extra hands. They ended the first week assisting with middle school programs. They guided 7th graders to use the Merlin app for identifying birds at Turkey Hill Farm, and then joined 8th graders in removing invasive plants and cleaning up around the outdoor basketball court at the school.
Milo and Fae returned for a second week with CELT. We spent two days at Runaway Farm, where we carried out old pieces of lumber, solidified the sign post in the ground, and removed a lot of trash including an abandoned rope high in the tree canopy. They also joined our annual property walk at the Marsh Trail area, experiencing first hand how land trusts must monitor each property to ensure that the legal protections are being upheld. The week closed out by Great Pond with boardwalk repair, trash pickup, and removal of the invasive Japanese knotweed.
Thanks again to all seven students for their contributions throughout the two weeks. We’re always glad to have these students helping out. Come back anytime for future volunteer opportunities, and congratulations on graduation this season!
