Carlton School District Outdoor Learning Facility (306a-01-07)

8/9/2019 Carlton School District Outdoor Learning Facility (306a-01-07)

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Minnesotas Lake Superior Coastal Program

Carlton School District Outdoor Learning Facility

Brad Matlack Carlton SWCD

January 2007

Project No. 306A-01-07

Contract No. A78409

This project was funded in part under the Coastal Zone Management Act, by NOAAs

Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, in cooperation with Minnesotas

Lake Superior Coastal Program.


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MLSCP Project No. 306A-01-07

Contract Number: A78409

Date Received: 1/24/07

Minnesotas Lake Superior Coastal Program

FINAL REPORT

Project Title: Carlton School District Outdoor Learning Facility

Project Start Date: July 28, 2005

Grant Period From: July 28, 2005 To: December 31, 2006

Signature of Project Manager

Introduction:

In August of 2003 the Carlton County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD)

received funding from the MN DNR Lake Superior Coastal Star Grant Program tocoordinate planning of a 40 acre school forest facility for the Carlton School District.

This grant was Phase I implementation of that plan including trail and relatedinfrastructure development and restroom construction.

The project was complete slightly under budget and with a small surplus of match.

Work Completed:

TASK 1Trail Coordinator:

Jeremy Canfield was hired to oversee all aspects of trail development.

Trials developed included 1 mile of handicapped accessible trail paved with Class V

gravel and another .25 miles of primitive trail with roots grubbed but left smaller andwith no paving.

A concrete double restroom facility was installed for trail users. This will help facilitate

trail use by other schools with minimal disturbance to the nearby Elementary School.

Signs & Benches:

18 Benches where constructed by an Eagle Scout candidate. Trees from the site wereconverted to lumber by a local portable mill and used in the bench construction and as

planking in boardwalk construction. Benches are positioned around the trail system for

resting spots.Another Eagle Scout candidate made 20 signs under supervision of a Scout Master. The

signs include trail names and points of interest in the forest.

Due to lower the expected volunteerism and difficulties in using students from fall 2007classrooms, installation of the signs and construction of some of the boardwalk was not

completed within the grant timelines. All materials were purchased and final work will be

completed after spring thaw utilizing students, volunteers and the trail coordinator, at noadditional cost. Estimated hours needed to complete sign installation and finish

boardwalks is 50 hours.


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TASK 2The Carlton SWCD Manager was responsible for overall grant management. Reports

have been submitted and documentation filed for grant and match expenditures.

Results:

This grant is Phase I in implementing the plan developed for the facility. The traildevelopment resulting from this project will be accessible to approximately 4,800students in 6 area school districts within 7 miles of the facility. The overall plan included

organizing curriculum and learning kits to make environmental education through the

facility very easy for local educators. That phase is yet to be implemented but even after

trail development, local educators and community groups are utilizing the facility. Roughinformation shows that from the beginning of the school year in September 2006, over

270 students have participated in cross disciplinary education utilizing the facility and

what educators could develop on their own. Local Scout groups have also used thefacility for learning activities in this time frame.

Conclusions:Volunteerism within the local community was lower then expected for the project.

Student participation working for credit was even lower then expected. Involving the

Minnesota Conservation Corp for labor in trail development made up this deficit in this

case but building a project on match from volunteers is not a good idea without carefulconsideration.

Appendices:

A. Photo albumB. Copy of newspaper articles

C. Information developed for media coverage

Send to:

Minnesotas Lake Superior Coastal ProgramDNR Waters

1568 Highway 2

Two Harbors, MN 55616


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Appendix A STOLCCC Photos

Trail clearing in the early winter 2005. Done with Brush hog on tracked skid steer.

Trail clearing continued in June 2006. Volunteers worked by hand to finish clearing areas inaccessiblewith skid steer machine.

A Minnesota Conservation

Corps Crew worked for one

week clearing trail in a remote

section of the main trail.


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A fourth grade class works with a first grade class to help them identify leaves, mushrooms, tracks, and

other natural things in the forest. Channel 8 staff from Venture North was filming for a segment to air

later this fall.

Boardwalks over wetland drainages in

the forest allow for crossing without

disturbance. A class thought by theprojects trail boss Jeremy Canfield is

learning trail building and wetland

crossing concepts first hand.


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One mile of trail has been developed with class five gravel as handicapped accessible.

Another .25 miles is more primitive without gravel.

A trailer was purchased for getting gravel to remote trail sections. It will be retained by the school district

to allow for maintaining the trail. A precast restroom was established and provides facilities for studentswithout interruption to South Terrace School.


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A local log sawyer cut logs from trail construction into lumber for use on the project including wetland

boardwalks and benches.

A student used the bench building as an Eagle Scout project and built 15 benches.

Another student used the sign project for an Eagle Scout project and using natural edged slab wood,routed and painted 20 signs including trail marking sings and point of interest.


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Appendix B.

Portions of the first Pine Journal article were published in the Carlton Newsand the Duluth News Tribune. January 18,2006Second article appeared in the Pine Journal June 28,2006


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Carlton School District Outdoor Learning Facility (306a-01-07)

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