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Fred Canney rests on the observation deck just a few days before
finishing it. Rajah Bose photos/Moscow Pullman Daily News |
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Outdoor Classroom built in the summer of 2003
Text from Alexis Bacharach, Moscow Pullman Daily News.
The Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute needed someone to build
an observation deck for an outdoor classroom at the Paradise Creek
restoration area on Mountain View Road (Heron's Hideout). Fred
Canney jumped at the opportunity. "I've never led a construction
project before, but I've done some carpentry work," he said. "I think
it's really cool that I'm building something where community members
can come and observe nature." |
Canney considers himself lucky to have a role in the restoration
project. He started Cub Scouts in kindergarten and has worked his way
up the ranks. Over the course of 12 years, he has developed a great
appreciation for nature. He said it's impossible to go from Cub Scout
to Eagle Scout without gaining some kind of respect for the
environment. His work on the outdoor classroom will allow him to share
his love of nature with other people. "It will be kind of neat to come
back over the years, once the area has grown in, and see what it looks
like," Canney said.
Canney's efforts will help PCEI extend its outreach services with the
University of Idaho and local school districts. |
Students will observe wetlands
PCEI outreach and education coordinator Greg Fizzell said the
observation deck will allow people to walk out on the restoration
area's flood plain at Heron's Hideout. Not only will the deck be a nice
area for people to interact with nature, but it will serve as an
education center. Fizzell said the purpose of the restoration project
is to give people a glimpse of Paradise Creek's natural habitat.
"As with any of our outreach projects, we want people to be able to
make informed decisions about the way they interact with their
watershed," he said. "There are certain places where a restoration like
this would be impossible. This is just a demonstration of what can be
done to increase aesthetics and increase the potential for wildlife in
an urban setting." |
Environmentally friendly materials used
We used footings called the Diamond Pier System, which are made by Pin
Foundations, Inc. in Seattle, WA. These footings are held down with a
small concrete diamond and four long pins driven into the ground in
opposing directions. The concrete diamonds sit just below the surface
causing minimum impact to the riparian area. Pin Foundations, Inc.
gave us a large discount on these footings. In addition, we chose to
use ACQ wood for our framing. ACQ is a new alternative treated wood.
The ingredients used in ACQ replace the lethal arsenic and chromium
products that are used in standard treated wood commonly used in
playground equipment and highway signs. Finally, the decking itself
was constructed with Trex, a recycled plastic wood building material.
For more information about these materials download the Summer 2003 PCEI newsletter (pdf 688k) and
read the article entitled "Poisonwood Garden". |
Thanks to our supporters!
Latah Sanitation, Inc. and the Moscow Recycling Center donated the Trex
in their effort to increase the use of recycled materials. Moscow
Building Supply gave us discounts on all of our building materials. The
City of Moscow allowed us to build on city land. Taze Fulford offered
his architectural skills in the drawing of the deck. Joe Riley of Troy,
ID gave endless hours of his time for both planning and building.
Countless other volunteers donated hours to the deck construction. The
project was partially funded by a grant from the Idaho Department of
Fish and Game. PCEI cannot express enough thanks to all of these
supporters and Eagle Scout Fred Canney for making the outdoor classroom
observation deck a reality! |
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