Gem in the rough gets a little polish

The trails at the Sauk Creek Nature Preserve in Port Washington are open again, thanks to weeks of work by a cadre of young adults from the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. 

The trails are wider and smoother than they have been in years — a far cry from the rutted state they were in before the project began, Tom Mlada, director of development for the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust, told the Common Council last week.

“Sauk Creek is actually our most heavily trafficked nature preserve,” Mlada said, noting it’s also the oldest preserve in the Land Trust’s portfolio. “It’s a beautiful place to explore on a year-round basis. 

“It just needed some life and some love after 25 years.”

The 1-3/4 miles of trails at the preserve had eroded and deteriorated to the point they were a public safety concern, he said, 

The AmeriCorps workers, who ranged in age from 18 to 24 and were housed at Forest Beach Migratory Preserve in the Town of Belgium were “the stars of the show,” Mlada said.

The youths, who are from throughout the country, sign up for 10-month terms and work on projects in five areas — energy conservation, environmental stewardship, infrastructure improvements, natural disasters and urban and rural developments.

Projects typically last about six weeks.

At the Sauk Creek Nature Preserve, aided by area business and community volunteers, the youths upgraded the trail system and installed flood control measures along the trails.

They filled the ruts with rocks and then topped them with traffic bond, making them smooth enough to walk on, assistant team leader Kelsey Killion, 22, of Pennsylvania told aldermen.

“It’s smooth now and you can walk on it,” she said.

The group also did its best to remove invasive species from the preserve.

“Thousands of pounds of invasives were removed,” Project Outreach liaison Darin Rapp, a 21-year-old from Virginia, told the Common Council, as well as a number of trees. “It was a lot of tough work.”

The city street department helped by chipping the trees and brush and repairing a culvert, Mlada noted.

It was hard work, the three AmeriCorps volunteers who attended the council meeting said, but it was worthwhile.

People traveling through the preserve while the work was going on would often stop the volunteers to chat while the project was ongoing, team leader Sarah Lewis of New Jersey said. 

“They were so grateful for our work,” she said. “They thanked us. They cared about us and what we were doing.

“Just knowing how grateful you are makes it worthwhile.”

“It’s absolutely amazing what they did,” Mlada said. “The entire trail system has been touched.”

The objective of the project, Mlada said, was to “have a trail system that would last another 25, 26 years.”

That, he said, has been achieved.

“The impact they have had is going to last beyond their time,” Mlada said.

Aldermen concurred.

“Thank you for beautifying our city,” Ald. Jonathan Pleitner said.

“I use that nature center quite a bit,” Ald. Paul Neumyer said. “Thank you.”

Businesses participating in the Sauk Creek Nature Preserve improvement project included the Greater Port Washington Kiwanis Club, Kleen Test and Aurora Healthcare, as well as financial partners Sherper’s, Lake Financial, Franklin Energy and Port Washington-Saukville Rotary Club.