9th Annual Earth Day 7K Recap!
The weather tried to stop us, but we are thrilled with the turnout to this year's 9th Annual Earth Day 7k! Despite the rain, more than 30 community members helped to raise over $600 for environmental programming. The North Country community demonstrated what generosity, grit, and passion look like this past Saturday. With the course starting on the muddied Kip Trail shoe laces were tested as the mud grabbed at our runners and walkers. After our participants navigated the marsh, they were rewarded with slightly dryer trails as they entered the Saddlemire Trail on their way back towards St. Lawrence University. Avoiding the 9th tee and bearing left onto the Avenue of the Elms, the end was almost in sight! Runners and walkers dashed through campus, turned left onto Park St., crossed the Little River, and returned to the finish at the Wachtmeister Field Station.
We also want to thank our sponsors for this race, Nature's Storehouse and LittleGrasse Foodworks! Thanks to their generosity, we were able to stock our aid station and registration table with plenty of race day snacks to fuel hungry racers. Nature's Storehouse also donated gift cards to our raffle, and LittleGrasse Foodworks donated a You Pick Flower Share for the 2025 season! Finally, thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the trails and the spring weather, celebrate Earth Day, and support outdoor engagement and stewardship with Nature Up North! Check out the attachment at the bottom of this blog to see the race results.
Both the Kip and Saddlemire trails are open year-round for the public to use, and we hope you do!
Dan French is a 2021 graduate of Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. While there, he majored in Sustainability with minors in General Business and Management. As an undergrad he had the opportunity to intern with the National Park Service's Office of Policy in Washington D.C., conduct self-led research on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid's impact on North American species of Hemlock, and was elected sectetary of his universities ultimate fresbee team, Bentley Icehouse. A native of Potsdam NY, Dan spent many summers cultivating his love for outdoor education at 4-H Camp Overlook where he was a camper turned staff for a total of 14 years. In his free time, Dan enjoys hiking in the Adirondacks and skiing when the snow allows. Most recently, Dan returned to the North Country after a one year term of service as an AmeriCorps member in Montana. He served as the National Wildlife Federation's Garden for Wildlife (TM) Coordinator in Missoula and the surrounding area. Now that he's back, Dan hopes to expand his connection to the environment through whitewater kayaking, backpacking, and expanding access to the wonders of the North Country to anyone and everyone who wants to tag along.