Chelsea's Pierce Creek Elementary rehabs wetland, trail

A small group of people did what they do best at Chelsea's Pierce Creek Elementary School. They made it better.

A group of school staff, students and parents helped bring new life to a seven-acre wetland behind the school at Old U.S. 12 and Freer Road. They rebuilt the 500-yard walking path, added some infrastructure for recreation and education, and helped refresh the marshland around it.

The school was built in 1997, leaving the wetland behind. Then school volunteers created the walking trail and took measures to preserve the wetland around it. Unfortunately it fell into disrepair until a group of volunteers reclaimed it this year.

"Over time there hasn't been a lot of development of it," says Lucy Stieber, principal of Pierce Creek Elementary School.

The group added a platform for the school's 380 students to take water samples and installed a few benches and bird boxes along the trail. A $5,000 grant from Lowe's made the project possible.

Source: Lucy Stieber, principal of Pierce Creek Elementary School
Writer: Jon Zemke
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