Trail Building
Join our dedicated crew of volunteers!
Join our dedicated crew of volunteers!
We invite you into practicing Bluestem's mission every Friday morning from 8:30am to 11:30am, as we gather with Bluestem volunteers and reconnect with each other and with nature. Old friends and new bring a sense of adventure and can-do spirit in helping to care for one another and this magical place.
Sign up to volunteer
And receive our weekly Trailbuilder's Update
Emailed every Thursday with information about the upcoming Friday workday
And receive our weekly Trailbuilder's Update
Emailed every Thursday with information about the upcoming Friday workday
Our priority in this early phase has been in revealing Bluestem's natural sanctuary within the woodland grove. Bluestem's hardworking crew has limbed branches, moved tree stumps, cleared poison ivy, pulled grapevines, stacked rocks, filled holes, packed dirt and unearthed this sacred space. We've lost some weight and gained some muscles too!
Three new trails draw people into the sanctuary grove from different points at the front of Bluestem's welcome area, inviting them into further exploration. Once there, the peaceful sounds of nature amidst the cooling shade of cedars, dogwoods, and Carolina shagbark, calm and center weary souls. The crumble of leaves, the fallen logs and tree stumps slowly sinking into the earth remind us everywhere, to honor the natural transitions from life into death.
Bluestem’s aesthetic is measured in its simplicity, integrity, and durability. Decisions about “improvements” to Bluestem are made wholistically through the lens of what’s sustainably possible, for people, for the soils, for water quality, for the flora and fauna, and for the community. The absence of extraneous decoration and fuss, signifies our reverence for nature, and makes room for beauty and wonder in its most natural form.
Our Gratitude to Bluestem Builders
Lee W, Betty, Kim, Margaux, Abby, Walter, Andy, Brenna, Cheko, Claire, Nora, Edith, Henry, Katie Kath, Tandy, Jerry, Robin, Sarah, Courtney, Judith, Candace, Meredith, Rickie, Chris, Heather Y, JC, Freddie, Sarah, Laura, Allen, Carl, Beth, Franzi, Sidney, Dan, Shenae, Nikki, Joe, Charlie, Kether, Deborah, Jennifer, Amy, Joanne, Greg, Noah, Anne, Sarah, Laura, Rory, Hannah, Carlos, David, Elizabeth, Karen, Tom, Carol, Steve, James, Jenny, Charlotte, Meg, Kallyn, Anna, Lara, Emily-Kate, James, Laura, Shawna, Renee, Perry, Ann R, Lee P, Kathleen, Charron, Emily, Alayla, Erica, Al, Lynn, Heather H, Joshua, Ken, Mark and D.
