Chittenden Nursery Rehab 2017 - Passport in Time
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Current Projects > 2017
Michigan - Huron-Manistee NF
Closed! Preserve Chittenden Nursery
Cone Shed #2, Chittenden Nursery
MI-4351
August 6-11; 13-18; 20-25, 2017 (including weekends)
Must commit to 1 entire session; may participate in more
Do you like seeing old buildings? Do you like the idea of those buildings being saved, ‘resurrected,’ and used by people today? Then come to the beautiful Huron-Manistee NF this summer and help preserve, rehabilitate and assist the Forest Service in the adaptive reuse of the Depression-era Chittenden Nursery, located near Wellston! During the 1930s, Chittenden Nursery served as a hub of activity for the reforestation efforts undertaken by the Forest Service. With much of the Eastern and Midwestern United States stripped of their forests, and urban unemployment driving young men to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Forest Service and the CCC built Chittenden Nursery. The Nursery opened in 1934, and supplied seedlings and transplants for regional planting. In cooperation with the CCC, the Forest Service leveraged the nursery’s production of pine, spruce and hardwood trees to reforest several National Forests between 1934 and 1942. The nursery’s 87 acres still retains its original 13, CCC-era, constructed buildings, and four other architectural features.
This year’s project will primarily focus on a large structure known as ‘Cone Shed #2.’ This building will be converted from a cone shed to a Forest Service Fire Crew bunkhouse. PIT volunteers will work hand in hand with Forest Staff and in conjunction with HistoriCorps, a national non-profit, hands-on preservation organization. Our main project on ‘Cone Shed #2’ will consist of repairing and repainting roof vents, installing period-appropriate windows, replacing exterior doors with period-appropriate door fill-ins, and installing prefinished siding. In addition to the work on ‘Cone Shed #2,’ we will repair and repaint the roof vents on ‘Cone Shed #1,’ already in use as an FS bunkhouse. HistoriCorps will take point on the project, will provide delicious meals and snacks, all training, project materials, tools, and on-site supervision. This is a beautiful area with a lot of history, and you may just walk away with some brand new skills you can apply elsewhere, or on your next PIT project! See you this summer!
Number of openings: 18 (6 per session)
Special skills: Previous construction, carpentry, roofing, painting and/or restoration skills helpful, but not required
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Housing available at no charge in Cone Shed #1; separate rooms with several beds per room, volunteers may also tent camp on site if preferred; toilets, showers, and kitchen facilities; all meals and water provided by HistoriCorps; volunteers responsible for own bedding (sleeping bag, pillow, etc.) or personal camping equipment, sturdy (and broken in) work shoes or boots, and work clothes
Nearest towns: Wellston, 1.7 miles; Manistee, 26 miles; Cadillac, 36 miles
Applications due: Closed
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