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Americorps Members Showed Spirit to "Get Things Done" During Americorps Week
DES MOINES - Two activities led by DNR AmeriCorps Members during AmeriCorps Week succeeded in showing what AmeriCorps is all about: getting things done and giving back to the community. On Wednesday, AmeriCorps members Charles Tucker and Michele Fuhrer led members of the Passageway rehabilitation clubhouse program in building bird houses and bat boxes. "There was a small portion of education about the birds involved, but the idea behind the Inclusion Day event was to get the members of Passageway, Inc. involved with AmeriCorps, DNR, and the natural resources of Iowa. I think this was achieved," said Fuhrer. A total of 22 habitat units were created by the Passageway members: 14 bluebird houses, 6 bat boxes, and 2 wood duck boxes. The units will be places at Honey Creek Resort State Park to help the park attain an Audubon Society certification for the promotion of endangered birds. "Projects like this really let our members give back to the community," said Passageway Executive Director Linda Oleson-King. "It's a great opportunity." Then on Thursday, AmeriCorps member Tom Stone led a group of volunteers from around Des Moines in cleaning up the wooded area south of Gray's Lake City Park next to the bike trail. "The trail is relatively new, but was built in what was previously a rail road area, so there was all kinds of trash and debris in there," said Stone. Along with litter like plastic cups and glass bottles, volunteers found and removed items including car tires, old rail road ties, metal pipes and cans, and several decomposing mattresses. "I'm incredibly grateful to my volunteers who worked harder than I could have ever asked," Stone said. "Thanks to them, we left the area better than we found it and that was our goal." The filled trash bags and other materials removed by volunteers were hauled away for proper disposal by city workers. For more information, contact Karen Schechinger at (515) 281-0878 or at
karen.schechinger@dnr.iowa.gov.
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