A reminder and an update

We've had a reminder the last four days at the Nature Center why we started thinking about a Stewardship Center in the first place. The kids in the picture are from Ruffing Montessori School doing their annual service to the Nature Center by pulling invasive yellow flag iris out of the mini-marsh. The kids look forward to the opportunity to "get down and dirty" and in the process they learn about native habitats and invasive plants .

Sometimes they get very dirty.

When they are finished they get hosed down and add a layer of mud to the equipment room in the building and the service area. How wonderful it will be when they can start out by gathering at the Stewardship Center to talk about what they will be doing , get their equipment then return to the storage/mud room to clean up - using water from the rain barrels.

What is the progress on the project? We've got the foundation and the stem wall. From now through the end of June we're lining up materials for the framing and roofing. We need lumber, we need hardware, we need roofing material and we will need some skilled labor for construction. Any and all donations are appreciated. Any and all suggestions are considered.

Once the framing is up then the fun can begin. We will be hand building the straw-bale and cob walls. Hopefully this will be starting in August.

Stay tuned.