Welcome to the Grove Community Forest Trail

Establishing a School and Community Forest

"Teaching children about the natural world should be treated
as one of the most important events in their lives." -- Thomas Berry

As part of an Evansville School District building project, a landscape architect worked with a group of staff, students and community members to design an outdoor learning environmental/landscape plan for the school grounds. A Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Service Forester visited the proposed site and recommended native trees and plants that would be successful in this area.

In the fall of 2007, several school district staff members met to move forward with the plan to establish a school and community forest. The proposed forest and diverse natural areas known as The Grove Community Forest Trail includes Wind Prairie, land along the exterior of Levi Leonard Elementary, Theodore Robinson Intermediate School and the campus region east of and along the fence line of Evansville High School.

1,200 native trees and shrubs including Butternut, Black Cherry, Sugar Maple, Red Oak, White Oak, Swamp White Oak, Black Walnut, Prairie Crab, Silky Dogwood, Hawthorn, American Hazelnut, and Ninebark have been planted.

District staff is now working to enlist the help and expertise of local community members who believe in the importance of creating and preserving natural spaces. If you would like to be a part of this exciting project, please contact: Heidi Carvin at 882-3386 or Nancy Kress at 882-4011.

Committee Members:
Heidi Carvin, District Administrator
Butch Beedle, MS Social Studies Teacher
Gail Guenther, 4th Grade Teacher
Brian Benson, HS Science Teacher
Loren Pfaff, HS Science Teacher
James Kvalheim, HS Career Education
Nancy Kress, Community Member
Philip Kress, Community Member