See Fulton's Stinson Creek with new eyes during a guided tour Wednesday.
Beginning at 9 a.m., Courtney Coffelt, City of Fulton engineering technician, and Ann Koenig, community forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation, will lead a walk down Stinson Creek Trail. During the mile-long stroll, they'll teach participants about tree and vegetation management, riparian area management and trail maintenance.
Koenig said Fulton's trail serves as a good example of what to do, rather than what not to do.
"I'd like to compliment the city for having such a nice trail system and focusing on their creek - it's such a nice asset for the community," she said.
All are welcome to join the walk, Coffelt said. The International Society of Arboriculture-certified arborists may earn two free continuing education units by participating.
"This will be a useful workshop for those who maintain city trails and/or riparian areas, as well as invasive plants and imperiled streams," Coffelt said.
According to Koenig, the event is aimed mainly at civil servants, such as employees of the parks and public works departments of surrounding cities.
"It's targeted more for those folks because we're going to be talking about managing public trails and invasive plants, if you manage property that has invasive plants," Koenig said. "In Central Missouri, we have communities that manage trails, but we don't often get to see other communities' trails. This is a chance to learn from each other."
Riparian areas - or the zones along the water's edge - have very particular management needs, Koenig said.
"When you have intersection of where public goes because of a trail and you also have a stream that ebbs and flows, as far as flooding, the vegetation management's kind of specific," she said. "Off the trail, you want a lot of vegetation to protect against erosion issues. Because of the fluctuation of the water, you may have different seeds coming in on the stream that are invasive plants."
No sign-up is required. Participants should gather at Seaman Field in Fulton (at the south end of State Street just south of Highway O). Coffelt requested participants bring a water bottle and a mask and be prepared to walk for about a mile.