This spring, we were lucky to have William Spry, a high school senior from Catlin Gabel, complete his senior project at Hoyt Arboretum. An active member of the Robotics Team and Cornell-bound in the fall to study Engineering, William is multi-faceted and also has a great love for the outdoors- especially since taking up trail running, and training to run the full 31 mile Wildwood Trail!
That’s why William chose to do his senior project at Hoyt as a way to connect more deeply with the outdoors, and help other people connect with the outdoors too.
The Project
Throughout his 4 week term, William graveled, mulched, weeded and pruned alongside Tuesday Crew, assisted park visitors in the Visitor Center, entered data from student assessments, and gathered and compiled data on all of Hoyt Arboretum’s trails. Read William’s first-hand account of the work he completed in his blog here.
Museum of Living Trees
William grew up in Portland, but never explicitly explored the global tree collections at Hoyt Arboretum. As someone who’s spent time on trails in the area, however, he would sometimes turn a corner and come across a spot that he’d recognize. “I didn’t know that this place was so unique,” he said, “one of the best things about doing my project here was actually exploring the trails and checking out the trees like I would in a museum.” One of William’s favorite spots is the South American collection on Bristlecone Pine Trail- the monkey puzzle trees in particular.
Best Moments
Last Friday was William’s last day volunteering at the Arboretum, but before he left, he shared some favorite memories- mostly making friends with other members of Tuesday Crew- John teaching him plant ID techniques, and Bob sharing valuable tips for a career in engineering among some of his most memorable conversations. “It was also really cool to suggest walks to visitors in the Visitor Center,” he shared, “sometimes they’d even come back to tell me how much they enjoyed it. That felt really good.”
Thank You William!
Thank you, William, for your thoughtful contributions over the last four weeks (and for fixing the measuring wheel!). We’re so excited to see where your path leads!
Volunteer at Hoyt Arboretum
Volunteers support the Arboretum in many different ways from assisting visitors, to pulling weeds, to collecting data, to teaching youth. Learn more about how you can support Hoyt Arboretum as a volunteer.