Willow tunnel installed at Vestal Elementary School
In another installation of the Vestal Elementary School green schoolyard project, Depave Board Members and staff gathered at the outdoor learning space on Saturday to learn from Flora NW how to weave live willow stakes to create a living Scouler’s willow tunnel in the greenspace.
Alex Slakie from Flora NW demonstrates bending willow to form the dome shape.
The group organized stakes by size and then used a tool called a dibble to push the willow stakes into the ground. The tunnel now stretches over a rock pathway leading to the north of the greenspace, providing students with a playful, exploratory experience.
The 3,900 square foot depaved area next to the school and 82nd Ave is now in the final phase of build out and as native plants are being added to the site.
Zoé Walker Aparicio, Depave’s Community Project and Stewardship Manager uses a Depave prybar to prep a hole for a willow stake.
Stay tuned for Depave’s community volunteer planting event at the site on March 14 from 10am - 1pm, for a chance to get your hands dirty and contribute to the school’s greenspace!
Depave Board Member Shawn Perez and Communications and Engagement Manager, Katherine Rose, install willow stakes.
