By Taylor, LHS Junior

Ten years ago, the Lyndon City Council came up with the idea of building a nature trail behind the baseball fields in the existing Jones Park. Kim Newman, Lyndon city administrator, just recently decided to take up the project, applying for a grant last November. The concrete for the sidewalk has been poured, and it is completely finished.

Brad Loveless and LHS English III students try out Lyndon’s new community trail as they learn about local wildlife and plants.

Brad Loveless, head of the OWLS program of Westar Energy, is diligently designing the wetlands area, and starting the layout for where the Westar outdoor classroom will be located.

Dayhoff Construction, of Osage City, is working on building the wetlands area, which will attract more frogs, turtles, and birds to the trail. It should be completed in the spring.

The city would also like to add an amphitheatre on the trail for an outdoor learning experience, and a separate reptile habitat. Students will get the chance to learn about more outdoor things instead of the traditional indoor classroom things.

Newman said the trail offers an opportunity for families to increase their physical fitness.

The entrance to the new nature trail is located in Jones Park. When it is completed, it will connect to the existing trail already in place, and should be a little over half a mile long.

Students of the Lyndon High School Green Club and the environment and wildlife science class will take care of the trail with the help of the city to maintain it.

Nature News is a project of the Lyndon High School English III class taught by Heather Fuller, who teaches English, drama and forensics. Along with the study of the works of famous authors, the junior students are learning about community-based writing. Coursework includes writing about subjects that will benefit readers. In Nature News, they plan to report on topics about appreciation of nature, using nearby Jones Park Trail as a learning tool.