More volunteers sought for July

By Don Rush

June 3 happened to be one of those hot days area residents had to endure. It was also National Trails Day and despite temperatures just under 90 degrees, two groups of volunteers worked on the Polly Ann Trail.

“Our first group was a group of 47 Girl Scouts from Oxford and the surrounding area,” Polly Ann Trail Manager Linda Moran said. “They came out on the hottest day of the year to pick up trash on the trail.

They were troupers! They picked up trash along Lakeville Road. After they had gathered all the trash, they spread wildflower seeds along the trail. What a great group.”

Moran added, last National Trails Day the Girl Scouts came out picked up trash and planted three trees. “The trees are doing great by the way,” she said. “I can’t wait to see what they have planned for next year.”

The second group was the Ann Arbor based project management consulting firm MI-GSO/PCUBED. They built a donated bench, placed it on a limestone pad that was created and donated by Koenig Materials. “It overlooks the beautiful lake that is in the Koenig gravel pit,” Moran said. “Many have watched the Bald Eagles fish from the lake and now we have a bench to sit and watch them from.”

They also planted four native Tulip trees.

Moran said the Polly Ann management team is working on having more volunteer opportunities in July.

“We will be doing an upgrade to the Leonard Trailhead. Just some trimming, mowing and if we find the money, replacing the old horse corral,” she said. “We also plan on adding message boards to the trail and nice little spots to get information about the trail. We will have workdays of trimming, mowing and cleaning up the trail.”

To volunteer, call 248-981-1242 and leave a message.

“I just want to thank everyone who helped,” she said. “The Polly Ann Trail is operated by mostly volunteers and to be able to work with such wonderful groups of people is the best part of my job.”

The Polly Ann Trail is a major non-motorized trail in Oakland County extending north from Orion Township on the former Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad corridor. The portion of the trail in Oakland County has a crushed stone surface and runs for 14.2 miles from Orion Township to the Oakland–Lapeer county line. The Oakland County segment connects the townships of Orion, Oxford and Addison and the villages of Oxford and Leonard. The Orion Township pathway system connects the trail to the popular Paint Creek Trail.

Photos by Linda Moran