On the morning of Saturday, April 22, the seventh cohort of Leadership Union and the Class of 2023 came together in front of Providence Hall to celebrate the ongoing restoration project for the Union Trails.
The restorations have involved cleaning up the trails and more clearly defining which paths go where. An updated trail map will be placed at the main entrance into the woods directly across from Taylor’s Circle, in front of Providence Hall.
The project was born when several of the cohort members decided that the trails were easy to get lost on. The senior class of 2023 pitched in with the improvements, from raising money to walking the trails themselves.
“We are grateful that we got to partner the senior class, which meant that we could actually do more,” Keaghlan Sheridan, director of alumni relations and one of the overseers of the event, said.
The page dedicated to the trails on Union’s website has been updated and an interactive map has been added so that if walkers ever get turned around while on the trails, they can easily find their way out.
The event on April 22 was the cumulative effort of many of the departments on campus. There were tables where people who attended the event could decorate a flowerpot to take with them or create a pattern for a ceramic tile that would eventually be placed on the trails. There were snacks and water for hikers and a face paint booth that painted designs on request.
“I have worked here for 20 years and, sadly, have never been across the street. I have always wanted to go, and this was my perfect opportunity and it is all that I hoped it would be. It is beautiful, and I am really excited that I was able to go today,” professor of engineering and department chair Jeannette Russ said of the event.
More information about the Union Trails is available here.