On Saturday, May 3, the 2^nd annual park improvement volunteer day was held. We couldn't have asked for better weather - sunny skies with temps in the mid 50s made for a comfortable workday. There was a decent turnout, but we could always use more helping hands.

This year, we were lucky to have a harness to aid in placing the trees in their holes; all the heavy lifting was done with the park's construction equipment. Trees were planted along route 44 from the Cherry Springs State Park sign north of the park entrance, southward to just past the restrooms. Trees were also planted in the far northeast corner of the secondary field, north of the main field. In all, 48 trees made it into the ground this year.

There were also many rhododendron plantings in front of and behind the trees planted last year to help fill out the gaps in the trees. These plants grow to seven feet high by seven feet wide. The park should look very nice when these bushes come into bloom.

Although it hasn't been set yet, I'm sure there will be a volunteer day next year as well. If you can make it to the park to help out, that would be great. Another consideration would be to make a donation to the Cherry Springs Dark Sky Fund. Your tax-decuctible donation will help fund park improvement projects like this in the future, making for an even better Dark Sky Experience.

Below are some images taken during the day. The last image is a picture of some artifacts that were unearthed during the plantings.