Rescued trail teaches of trees

For generations, the trails have been unofficial: Wandering routes along the Salamonie River on Portland's east side where kids could go exploring, play army, or simply get away from the noise of town.

Today, thanks to the efforts of a Jay County High School senior and the Portland Street Department, the trails are not only official, they're educational as well.

Aaron Hudson, son of Barry and Elizabeth Hudson who donated the land for Hudson Family Park now under development south of Portland's Weiler-Wilson Park, created the Trail of Trees as his Eagle Scout project.

It's not the first time a nature trail has been part of the park property.

Back in the early 1980s, a retiree by the name of Kelly Baggs, who lived near Weiler-Wilson, took it upon himself to blaze the trail. Scouts pitched in to make bridges over low-lying areas. And the whole thing was turned over to the city.

But after a decade or so, the trail fell into a state of neglect. Fewer and fewer hikers made the trek into the woods along the river.

Hudson's project aimed to change all that.

"My dad and I walked through in the fall of last year," Hudson said. "The first time we went out there we actually got lost for over an hour. It was pretty bad."

Grass and weeds had grown high, and four or five trees had fallen across the path.

Assisted by his father, scoutmaster Gary Gibson, and fellow members of Troop 206 including Derek Hughes, Joe Miller, Mike Miller, Andy Miller, Shawn McKibben, and Tyler Flowers, Hudson set to work to bring the tail back to its potential. City parks department crews helped with the removal of the largest fallen trees.

Today, the trail loops along the south edge of the woods and extends beyond the limits of the city's property onto land owned by the Jay School Corporation.

The Jay School Board has initiated a process that will allow transfer of the wildlife area to the city as a further extension of the park.

Working with local pastor Darrell Borders, who has a degree in natural resources, Hudson identified trees along the trail route and has erected permanent signs marking the different species to be found.

Hiking the entire trail takes about 45 minutes, depending upon the hiker's pace.[[In-content Ad]]