Mark Gray (left) and Jan Robinson prep land just off the Discovery Trail northwest of Centralia for tree plantings to be done by area elementary school students later this week.
Past tree plantings along the Discovery Trail have grown to help define the edges of the trail northwest of Centralia.
About a dozen volunteers turned out Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, at Discovery Park to volunteer as part of an effort by the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust to prepare for the hordes of area elementary school students set to pitch in later this week.
Monday’s crew was tasked with carving out circular patches within the thick red canary grass that dominates the land just off the right side of the Discovery Trail. Fourth graders from Rochester and Montesano will be on hand today and Thursday to plant willow stakes in the clearings.
The students will also learn about the Discovery Trail, how it came to be, and the general ecology of the area. They will also go on tours of the wastewater treatment plant operated by the city of Centralia.
“We’ll be out here with them, mostly just to line them up and show them where to go,” said Jan Robinson, president of the board that oversees the land trust. “We always encourage
