BACKGROUND:
Visitors to Point Lookout State Park will be able to experience the life cycle
of a salt marsh thanks to a new 420-foot boardwalk built by the Maryland
Conservation Corps (MCC). Designed by Point Lookout Park Maintenance Supervisor
Jim House in 2006, the boardwalk was constructed to connect the existing
Periwinkle Trail to a park camping loop and provide visitors with a unique
outdoor experience. Named for the periwinkle snail of the salt marsh, the trail
follows a remnant rail road line, providing scenic views of the park's wetlands
and tidal ponds.
 MCC Crew Supervisor Dawn Letts supervised the extensive construction project
that was completed by the Greenwell MCC Crew and supported by volunteers, park
staff and a seasonal park trail crew. MCC crew members built the boardwalk over
a period of 10 months, often in harsh environmental conditions and knee deep in
marsh mud.
The Maryland Conservation Corps (MCC) is an AmeriCorps Program managed by the
the Department of Natural Resources Maryland Park Service. Young adults, ages
17-25, spend 11 months serving Maryland's conservation needs. MCC members work
in crews throughout the state to plant trees, restore shorelines and streams,
provide environmental education programs, and maintain and construct hundreds of
miles of trails in State Parks annually.
For more information about Point Lookout State Park visit
www.dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/southern/pointlookout.html.
To learn more about the Maryland Conservation Corps go to
http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/mcc/.
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