Students help create natural tread trail

Jenny Pauk
Fri October 26 2012
Posted Oct 26, 2012
7,767

After receiving $65,000 from the Black Hawk Gaming Association, University of Northern Iowa students are continuing the UNI Campus Trails Project by creating a natural tread trail along the university branch of Dry Run Creek, north of the UNI-Dome.
Students in Managing Recreation Impacts in the Natural Environment — a course in the department of leisure, youth and human services (LYHS) — are working under the direction of associate LYHS professor Kathy Scholl to build a natural tread trail on 40 acres along the creek on the west side of campus.

“I am passionate about this project because I think that it is nice to have places on campus that people can go to relax and get into the outdoors without having to drive, and a place where they can jog or walk (or) a place where they can have a break from being inside or on pavement,” Scholl said. “That is one (reason for the project) — just to enhance outdoor recreation and physical activity for students, but also to increase sustainability and improve the natural environment by protecting the watershed.”

Scholl obtained funding from the Black Hawk Gaming Association by using designs from past student proposals and affiliation with the city of Cedar Falls.

The students in the LYHS class designed plans for the trail and are now helping construct it.

Emily Hanson, senior LYHS major, said her role on the project is to “remap the trail and work on the turnpike,” which is “a section of the trail that goes over wet grass” and is made out of rock and soil.

Students are also helping create a creek crossing.

“My favorite part of the project is being able to say that I took part in something that can have such a positive impact on the community and university, but have the smallest impact on the environment as possible (given the budget),” said Jordon Altenhofen, a senior earth science major.

The UNI Campus Trails Project began in 2005 when the Prairie Preserves Committee wanted to put a trail on the south side of campus. The committee worked with Scholl, who had her classes help create almost five miles of natural tread trail, known as the South Campus Trail.

“(Back in 2005), there was a need for some of the trees in the upland forest to be thinned, so by putting a trail in, that would mark what trees needed to come out,” Scholl said. “From there it grew because there (are) spaces on campus that aren’t being utilized, so we can utilize them by having a nature trail.”

The creek crossings for the west campus trail will be built by next spring, but the project won’t necessarily end there. According to Scholl, they may try to create more nature trails or link the trails “so they go nearly all the way around campus.”

“As we continue to develop the trails on campus it will add things, like students will be able to use it for things like 5K run events,” Scholl said. “As more people use it, there will be more ways for students to help take care of it as well as enjoy it.”