News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cummins Falls State Park is giving students a chance to volunteer and build their TN Promise service hours.
Parks across the Upper Cumberland are offering students this opportunity on June 26. Park Ranger Lauren Fagin said the park has a specific project for students, removing invasive plant species.
“So we are targeting two different invasive species,” Fagin said. “Specifically, ailanthus and privet that do grow here. In several different areas around the parking lot and along the banks of the river which we will be working on removing.”
These volunteer events are a two way street for the parks and for students. Students get hours to be eligible for their scholarship and the parks get man power to keep the park beautiful.
“We are super busy here in the summertime,” Fagin said. “So for the staff itself, projects like these a lot of the time we just don’t have enough people to kind of help out and do it. So when we do get volunteers it brings everybody together it helps us out by getting the little stuff done that we need in the park. That in the end, makes a huge difference.”
Fagin said these plants have made their way into Cummins Falls State Park through landscaping in the past. Fagin said volunteers are getting together at 8:30 AM to get a jump on the project.
“They will be eating at the visitors center early in the morning,” Fagin said. “So we’re wanting to knock this out before it gets too hot. So it’s just going to be a few hours. We provide the water and the gloves for everybody, but bring a good pair of hiking shoes, sunscreen and bug spray.”
Fagin said that volunteers will need to register online by following a link on the Cummins Falls State Park Facebook Page. She said there is a liability waiver to sign that will be provided at the park.
