Jack Phillips of Solar Youth sent in this write-up about a bridge opening on a hiking trail between the Westville Manor housing project and West Rock State Park:
The Solar Youth trail connects the Westville Manor neighborhood (the trailhead is at the corner of Brookside Avenue and Wintergreen Avenue) with the main trail network in West Rock Ridge State Park. Prior to construction of the trail, the closest trailhead to the Park for the Westville Manor Community was Lake Wintergreen, more than a mile away.
Beth Pellegrino, Solar Youth’s program director, first worked on the trail with Solar Youthers as part of a project she planned while pursuing her master’s degree in environmental education at Southern Connecticut State University. With the help of the state Department of Environmental Protection, which surveyed the area and plotted the route, and the Appalachian Mountain Club, which donated equipment and provided hands-on lessons to youth on trail-clearing, the first stage of the trail was completed in late 2009.
Natayjah signing the bridge.
The initial plans called for a bridge to cross a creek bed which blocked the path, which we were unable to complete during the initial trail development. For the past couple of years, residents of Westville Manor have been forced to undergo creek crossings to follow the trail. This spring season, Service/Adventure Crew (a Solar Youth program for youth ages 9 to 13 that pairs outdoor adventures with community service projects) set out to build a bridge that would make it easier for their community to access the natural beauty of West Rock Ridge State Park.
Angel on the trail.
The youth led the project from the idea stage to the completion of the bridge; they designed it, chose the site for the build, dug out the banks, built a stone foundation, constructed the frame, and painted it so it would stand out in true Solar Youth style. They also took over the maintenance of the trail, and painted brand new blue and yellow blazes to mark the path for hikers.
The bridge.
On Tuesday, June 7, the youth celebrated the unveiling of their bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Two youth wrote and presented dedications (see below) during the ceremony, and all participating youth, about 15 in total, signed their names on the bridge. Pellegrino cut the ribbon. A hike to Judge’s Cave in West Rock Ridge State Park followed.
Here are the dedications by youth:
By Ty: “We built the bridge so people can use the bridge to cross the water when they use the trail. We are proud of this bridge because it shows we did a lot of work on it.”
By Corey: “This bridge will help our community because if kids had a project they would be able to use the bridge any time they want. We are proud of the bridge because we worked really hard on the bridge.”
Corey signing the bridge.
Service/Adventure Crew will help maintain the trail in the future.
About Solar Youth:
Solar Youth, Inc. is a New Haven-based non-profit youth development and environmental education organization founded in the fall of 2000 by youth and adults. Solar Youth’s mission, developed by founding youth and adults, is to provide opportunities for young people to develop a positive sense of self and connection and commitment to others through programs that incorporate environmental exploration, leadership and community service. Solar Youth targets youth who reside in New Haven’s low income communities and are faced with incredible challenges such as poverty, crime and violence, and are in great need of positive supports and opportunities to succeed. All Solar Youth programs are based on a unique program model: Kids Explore! Kids Do! Kids Teach!
About Service/Adventure Crew:
Service/Adventure Crew is a program in which youth, ages 9 – 13, and volunteers join to perform a series of service projects that improve their community, and then participate in outdoor adventures. In addition to the trail maintenance project, recent Service/Adventure Crew projects include a downtown New Haven stenciling project, flower bed and a vegetable garden plantings, a fundraiser for a local soup kitchen, trash pick-ups and an anti-litter campaign.