Safety improvements have been made to a section of trail at Petrolia's Lorne C. Henderson Conservation Area. Students from Grades 11 and 12 at Sarnia's Saint-Francois-Xavier high school worked closely with the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) on the initiative. SCRCA Communications Manager Donna Blue says they placed large stones at the entrance to the trail to prevent ATV's from accessing the area. They also installed a boardwalk over a culvert to keep hikers from getting their feet muddy and falling. "It was all the students' ideas," says Blue. "Through funding from the school board, we were actually able to implement the idea at the Lorne C. Henderson Conservation Area. I think it was a really good experience for the students and was also very beneficial for us at the conservation authority." Students worked with manufacturing and construction teachers to purchase the necessary supplies. The students' training, known as Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) training, is provincially recognized for those working towards a Specialist High Skills Major. Blue says the two groups intend to continue the partnership in the future to not only educate students but to keep the trails in good condition.
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