Roy Clark: Carmel High Volunteer

About 10 years ago, several Carmel High students, including Lee Krasnow (now an award-winnig wood and steel puzzle-maker in New Zealand) planted valley oaks around the headquarters at Hastings. These magnificent oaks can grow for 400 years, reaching diameters up to 6 feet. However, in the thickets of annual grass of Hastings' abandoned agricultural fields, these mighty oaks can't get started. Their seedlings are clipped off by gophers and as saplings they are kept as dwarf plants by deer eating the terminal buds. Thus, we plant the acorns in a bucket-sized basket of hardware cloth (steel mesh) in the soil, and put a protective tube up to protect the seedling from browsing deer.
Lee and his friends put up about 40 of these tubes, but time has taken its toll on them. Many are tattered and falling down. Several other CHS students have helped fix them in the past, and our newest volunteer, Roy, is busily repairing and replacing the tubes. Roy will also be volunteering his time for other projects around Hastings. Roy joins a nice group of great students from CHS who have an interest in natural history and enjoy doin outdoor projects.