On the Ground Junior: High School Students Build Brush Piles and Deploy Trail Cameras for Wildlife with MUCC and The Nature Conservancy in Luce County

On September 27, 2023, high school students and instructors from Lake Superior State University’s Career in Technical Education program participated in MUCC’s On the Ground Junior program in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to improve wildlife habitat in the Two-Hearted River Forest Preserve north of Newberry.

Two student volunteers work together to help build the base of a brush pile

During this stewardship project, students cut down overgrown maple saplings and constructed brush piles to enhance horizontal ground cover for wildlife like snowshoe hare and upland birds. After constructing the brush piles, students deployed four trail cameras that will be used to monitor wildlife activity around the newly created habitat. For the next year, TNC field staff will maintain the trail cameras and share any findings with project partners. 

In total, students created six large brush piles and directly impacted about two acres of wildlife habitat during this project which was funded by a generous donation from MUCC member, conservationist, and local landowner, Jeff Littmann. 

If you are interested in getting involved in MUCC’s On the Ground or OTG Jr. program, please visit mucc.org/on-the-ground/.