By Anna Hill
Bee hotel on the 16th green / Fred Orkin
The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is a program created and supported by Eastman’s Lakes and Streams Committee (L&S). In YCC, teens work to improve the watershed, the lake, and the grounds in the community. Committee Chair John Larrabee supervises the group, which meets every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. for five to six weeks in early summer. This summer, the YCC spent much of its time preventing erosion on the beaches and providing nests for wandering solitary bees.
The YCC worked to provide ecofriendly boat launches at West Cove B and C. Both launches were eroding, and West Cove C had sustained some damage. At both sites, we layered coir logs—which are packed coconut husks in a large tube net, geo cloth (a tightly woven black material), dirt, sand, and rocks—in step-like terraces. The terraces in West Cove B were used to plant blueberry bushes, milkweed, and royal grasses, while the terraces in West Cove C were covered with sod. Sod was also used on West Cove B where the steps didn’t cover the bank. Once we finished, the cooperation of volunteers from the community was critical to keep the sod watered. To the right of the terraces on West Cove B, six coir logs were used to rim a new launch, and a coir mat was used to hold the sand on the beach.
Character building, learning about wildlife, and teamwork—you get it all in YCC. — Anna Hill
The launches were set; next was a project dedicated to protecting solitary bees. Solitary bees live alone—hence their name—and often in the ground. Unfortunately these bees, which are critical to plant pollination, have been battling the effects of pesticide use and need help. One way that YCC helped was by creating pollinator hotels. More like an incubator than a living space, these hotels provide effective, safe, and sturdy places for the bees to lay their eggs. Since the hotels needed to be made of cylindrical and tubelike items, materials such as cut bamboo, phragmites, remnants from drilled holes, and custom bricks were gathered. The funding for the materials was provided by Deerfield Academy through a grant awarded to Deerfield student and YCC member Shaun Kronenwetter. Once the materials were prepared, they were arranged inside the solid frame, and a metal mesh held them in. The frame had been stained in advance to combat weathering and rot. Finally, roofs were put on. The hotels have been erected at the Eastman Community Garden on Draper Road, on the 16th Hole at Eastman Golf Links, and on a walking path.
After the hotels were up, the last thing left was maintenance at South Cove. YCC weeded and mulched the rain garden on the boat dock, as well as remulching behind the South Cove Activity Center. Once that was finished, YCC was done for the summer.
The members of this year’s YCC were Jaret Armstrong, Reese Armstrong, Kristina Austin, Sarah Austin, Allison Carl, Andrew Han, Anna Hill, Nick Kleinschmidt, Shaun Kronenwetter, Claudia Simione, Olivia Simione, and Sara Robinson. The adult supervisors were John Larrabee, Susan Pratt, Jane Taylor, and Maynard Wheeler. Each member contributed his share of effort to each project and overall worked well with one another. It was an enlightening experience for everyone. YCC has provided a positive environment for teens to work in; the projects have been educational, entertaining, and effective. While learning to work with a group, each member of YCC has helped create a better environment and community in Eastman.
Anna Hill is a 9th grade student at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, NH.
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