Cook County School District 166 6th graders biked, learned, and planted with the Gitchi Gami Trail Association, DNR, SHIP, and more

May 18, 2023 11:52AM ● By Content Editor

Photo by Michelle Pierson

By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - May 18, 2023

On Thursday, May 11, approximately 30 6th-grade students from Cook County School District 166 participated in a native planting along the Gitchi Gami Trail in Grand Marais.

Photo by Michelle Pierson

On the morning of the 11th, the fog coming off Lake Superior was thick. But, with great luck (and some welcomed sunshine), the fog burned off as the morning went on.

The schedule of activities seemed straight-forward to anyone on the outside:

Leave the school on bikes, using the Cook County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) bike fleet
Bike on the Gitchi Gami State Trail, where the students would meet staff from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Gitchi Gami Trail/MN DNR Liasion, and members of the MN Conversation Corps to learn about native planting and erosion along the trail/Highway 61
View a demonstration on how to plant native seeds and lay straw erosion mats
Prep the ground, plant the seeds, and lay the mats
Meet a Gitchi Gami Trail Association member who was on hand to help with any bike support and gear assistance
Eat lunch along the trail at Fall River Falls
Bike back to school

But of course, an undertaking like this requires a lot of planning and coordination.

Photo by Michelle Pierson

As Michelle Pierson, Executive Director of the Gitchi Gami Trail Association said, “This field trip wove together bicycle safety, trail etiquette, youth engagement, occupational outreach on potential career opportunities, information about erosion, climate, native vegetation, a look at invasive species, and so much more. It was an incredible showcase of multi-organizational partnership.”

Photo by Michelle Pierson

The start of a community and state-wide partnership

The Gitchi-Gami Trail Association (GGTA) is a Friends Group supporting the DNR’s efforts to build and maintain the Gitchi-Gami State Trail.

The idea for a field trip utilizing many of the county’s organizational resources began when the Trail Association became eligible to apply for a small habitat restoration grant through the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota.

As part of the grant, “We proposed to engage students in the Grand Marais area with a multi-layered idea,” Pierson said. The organization reached out to ISD 166, and teachers Mr. Theismann (Outdoor Education) and Ms. Zimmer (Physical Education) came on board.

The goal of the project was to use the grant money to buy native seeds to replace the vegetation that had been planted in 2021 along the trail.

Pierson shared that the original seed never had a chance to become established because of the extreme drought in the fall of that year. As a result, excess rain and storm water washed (and continue to wash) fine particles and gravel onto the trail - something that wasn’t happening previously.

Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow

Oliver Liu, the Gitchi Gami State Trail MnDNR Coordinator reached out to the DNR and MN Conservation Corps to invite them to help educate the students on planting and the importance of native species. Liu also helped the GGTA select which seeds to purchase - a mix of grasses, forbs, and cover crops.

A group effort

The project was truly a group effort.

The DNR provided snacks, rakes, buckets, gloves, and eye protection. The students were instructed to work in small groups while doing the planting.

Photo by Laura Durenberger-Grunow

First, the DNR water truck prepped the ground for planting (and would go by a second time after the seeds were planted). Then, some of the students would be in charge of raking the dirt to remove some of the gravel and prep the ground. After that, more students would come by with seeds, following the rakers.

Photo by Michelle Pierson

The initial plan was to have the students lay the erosion mats. However, the field trip was cut short due to a rescheduled game, for which some of the students had to return to school earlier than expected.

Nevertheless, erosion blankets were still purchased by the GGTA and laid by the DNR after the seeds were planted.

Photo by Michelle Pierson

After their hard work, the whole team enjoyed lunch at the Fall River Falls after the planting - where the GGTA purchased lunch for adult volunteers. Students brought their own lunch.