Volunteers Come Together to Help Preserve and Protect Charlestown’s Walking Trail

By Jane Powell
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Katherine Henderson has always enjoyed the outdoors. Now as chairperson of Charlestown’s Nature Trail Committee, she along with 27 other men and women volunteer their time preserving and protecting the 3 1/2 mile long trail located near the rear of Charlestown’s 110-acre campus.

The shady trail which meanders along Herbert Run, a stream near Charlestown’s Cross Creek Clubhouse, boasts nearly 100 different species of wildflowers and 26 species of trees.

“It’s really a treasure to have this trail here. It’s such a beautiful, peaceful place— it’s cool, quiet, and you can hear the relaxing sound of water over the rocks,” says Katherine.

Markers placed along the trail on trees and near wildflowers identify the different species and a collection of wildflowers is kept and catalogued.

“We keep a book in the lobby of Cross Creek that is a collection of all of the different species, as well as a dried specimen, its name, and an index in the back of the book,” says Katherine.

A Labor of Love
The trail was the brain child of architect Paul Gaudreau. A naturalist who lived in a terrace level apartment at Charlestown, Paul envisioned a trail that followed the course of Herbert Run. He proposed the idea in a letter to John Erickson, founder and CEO of Erickson Communities, the company that owns and operates Charlestown.

Within days, work on the nature trail began and Paul’s vision took shape. As the trail became a reality Paul recruited his friends and neighbors and started the Nature Trail Committee. The committee was organized into groups reflecting the interests of its members: wildflowers, ferns, trees, and overall state of the trail. Each member is responsible for keeping their area weeded and maintained.