FACULTY AND STUDENTS BEAUTIFY BICYCLE TRAIL

Three faculty members and 25 students from Southeast Missouri State University gathered for class outdoors Tuesday to plant trees along the Cape LaCroix Recreational Trail in Cape Girardeau.

Rachel Finch, a part-time instructor of English; Larry Hamilton, assistant professor of sociology; Glen Williams, assistant professor of speech communication and theatre; and students in the "Be All You Can Be" Freshmen Learning Team, a course that Williams supervises; planted a grove of Bald Cypress along a portion of the trail. The grove, purchased by the students, will line a section of the trail, just south of the new bridge at Hopper Road."This section of trail was most appropriate for planting trees because it will give the area around the bridge a scenic backdrop," Williams said.

Williams, Finch and Hamilton began working with Cape Girardeau Parks & Recreation last fall in laying the groundwork for the project. A trail-side survey was conducted by the team of faculty and the Fall '98 Freshmen Learning Team. Together, they compiled results of a survey from 280 visitors, finding that trail users are concerned about safety, litter control and landscaping issues.

As a result, the team worked with Darrin Tipton of Cape Ambulance Services to improve safety by mapping the trail so that it is consistent with the grid for city streets. Cape Ambulance Service now is able to pinpoint the exact location of anyone on the trail who might need emergency medical attention.

Although planting the trees is not a requirement for the course, Williams encourages it. "A significant part of the University's mission is to give to the community," Williams said. "We try to realize this mission by involving students in community service projects."