Little Compton Garden Club members presenting tree donations to WLCT at Westport Woods Conservation Park Opening Day
There’s always the potential for magic when children have the opportunity to explore nature. That’s just what happened for a class of Morton Middle School students from Fall River on June 3rd thanks to a program organized by the Little Compton Garden Club and held at Westport Woods Conservation Park, a property of the Westport Land Conservation Trust (WLCT).
The Little Compton Garden Club is actively involved in the beautification of the Little Compton area. In addition to its focus on gardening and beautifying areas in Little Compton, the Garden Club is involved in community outreach, such as this Outdoor Explore Student Program. Their goal is to give children the opportunity to engage with the outside world.
The students reported that it was the best field trip they have ever had. The students became engaged by having a chance to find their own expression as they discovered how they could experience the freedom of learning in the outdoors. Outside the classroom they will now find ways to connect their world with the natural environment.
Westport Woods Conservation Park provided the perfect venue for this exploration. WLCT acquired this 82-acre property in February 2018 in partnership with the Town of Westport. Since then, WLCT has removed 11 structures and over 32,000 square feet of asphalt. Healthy trees, native grasses and shrubs have been planted to restore the beauty of the natural landscape. The carriage paths have been refreshed with natural materials, and over three miles of trails have been created in the woods.
WLCT has been hard at work creating this park for the community. It was wonderful to see these students enjoy and interact with nature. It was truly inspirational to work with these kids as we begin to realize the vision for this park to connect people with nature. I look forward to partnering again with the Garden Club, and other local organizations to bring more children to this park.
The community came together on June 15th to celebrate the Park’s grand opening. Over 400 people attended this event, where the Little Compton Garden Club generously presented WLCT with a swamp white oak tree, and two native oak trees (grown by the Club) that will be planted in the open landscape at Westport Woods Conservation Park.
Westport Woods Park is now officially open to the public for exploration from sunrise to sunset. For more information about this project or the opening, contact WLCT at (508) 636-9228, extension 4.
Morton Middle School students walking the trails and studying nature at Westport Woods Conservation Park.
