Dallenbach’s Trail is nestled behind the Crystal Springs Family Water Park parking lot. It is a peaceful hiking trail next to Dallenbach’s Lake, where you could see the most stunning foliage in fall. To many local teens, it leads to memories of the very first science field trip in the sixth grade, a long-standing component of the science curriculum of the middle school. On October 4, 2020 Raritan Valley AYLUS volunteers gathered at Dallenbach’s Trail to clean up this nature trail frequented by visitors from near and far. After the first looks of the serene surroundings, we soon realized a cleanup had been long overdue. Having developed a keen eye for hidden trash through our Eco Projects, our volunteers spotted trash pieces, big and small, among woods and bushes. We picked up diapers, bags with dog waste, soft drink bottles, tennis balls, Styrofoam pieces, and plastic wrappers to name a few. As the trash bags in our hands became heavier and heavier, we reached the end of the walking path having tidied up the full length of the trail. Seeing Dallenbach’s Trail clean and refreshed, we felt proud for our contribution to the community and couldn’t wait to see Dallenbach’s Trail with the colorful fall foliage in a few weeks.
Volunteers: Benjamin Hong (1.5 hrs), Tarun Sivakumar ( 1.5 hrs), Amy Xu (1.5 hrs), Xinning Lucy Liu (1.5 hrs), Allan Gao (1.5 hrs), Alicia Xu (1.5 hrs), Jason Liu (1.5 hrs), Kevin Xu (1.5 hrs), Jessica Hong (1.5 hrs)
