A Tale of Two FHHS Juniors Atop Mount Grant Preserve

Those smiles say a lot about Friday Harbor High School juniors, Corbin Williams and Eli Cooper-West, who enthusiastically logged 87.5 volunteer hours atop Mount Grant Preserve for their community project; almost 30 more than the class requirement! They are proud of what they accomplished and how it will immediately benefit many visitors to the preserve.

Inspired by previous work with the San Juan Island Conservation Corps, both Williams and Cooper-West were familiar with trail work and believed this project would be fun, even though neither one of them had yet visited the preserve. Under the guidance of San Juan County Land Bank Preserve Steward, Doug McCutchen, along with input from San Juan Preservation Trust Stewardship Manager, Kathleen Foley, the two FHHS juniors helped with layout and design of trails at the summit, coordinated delivery of materials and equipment, and provided labor.

When asked if there were any surprises during the project, Williams said “it was a little harder than we expected; time management was the toughest thing, but we ended up with a really cool project and got to work in an awesome place.”

With the Campaign to Save Mount Grant is still underway, (about $1.0 million remains to be raised), the Land Bank is not yet in a position to invest significantly in permanent trails and improvements. McCutchen reflects “the volunteer contributions of Corbin and Eli will immediately enhance visitor experiences.”

But don’t just take their word for it, come on up and check out the trail for yourself! Mount Grant Preserve is open to hikers daily, and the gate will be open for driving access to the top, 9:00am to 4:00pm on the following holiday dates:

Christmas: December 25 & 26, 2015

New Years: January 1, 2016

Valentines/Presidents Day: February 14 & 15, 2016

Easter: March 26 & 27, 2016

If you’d like to hear more about Williams and Cooper-West’s community project, be sure to attend their presentation on Wednesday, January 13, 2016. Presentations begin at 5:30pm and run through 7:00pm at Friday Harbor High School. For more information regarding the Campaign to Save Mount Grant, click here.