Scenic hiking trail helps the blind enjoy natureʼs beauty

Brail Trail o ers an escape om the city for the visually impaired as well as the rest of the community

Jackie

Pierce College’s Braille Trail, located behind building 4900, is the school arboretum’s 500-foot nature path designed for the visually impaired.

Jody La Chance, American Society of Landscape Architects’ Landscape & Horticulture Director, has some advice before students decide to hike the trail.

“Please don’t walk underneath the Evergreen Ash Tree, it isn’t safe,” La Chance said.

This nature trail showcases native, exotic plants and trees within the setting of the Pierce College arboretum.

The original Braille Trail was created on April 20, 1970, and was re-dedicated April 22, 1995 through the combined efforts of community service and the Horticulture Department

Students are working to uproot the Evergreen Ash Tree because of its potential danger; the tree is so dry that the branches are tumbling down at a dangerous and unpredictable rate.

The Ash tree is located at the beginning of the trail on the right hand side, and it presents a growing hazard . Pierce student Mel Diab provides tours of the Braille Trail and she is extremely passionate about the landscaping.

Along with others like her, Diab has made it her mission to safely eliminate of all the Ash’s dead branches, and then re-seed, and rerope the Braille trail.

“You take a risk walking through the trail,” according to Diab.

At the same time, she encourages everyone to come out, walk it and see it.

She takes great pleasure in noting that no two trees are the same.

But make sure to dress properly… wear sneakers or hiking boots, and drink fluids to keep yourself hydrated.

“Night hikes are not encouraged due to coyotes and other wild life that lurks in the surrounding countryside,” according to student Patrick Cullen.

The entire area surrounding the Braille Trail is also undergoing a major facelift.

All the condemned buildings that dot the area will soon be torn down for safety purposes, according to La Chance.

The Horticulture Department is currently involved in a project run by Michael Pisani called the “Plant Project,” where the academic class ties together with efforts surrounding the Braille Trail hoping that it will take less than two years to re-beautify the trail and its surroundings.

Students and faculty who wish to become part of the Horticulture Club or join the “Plant Project” can do so by contacting Jody La Chance at lachance@piercecollege.edu.