Underfoot: Soils Along Nature Trails.

Soils are an integral part of natural systems and cover the majority of the landscape. Yet few, if any, interpretive trails with content related to soils exist in the United States. Our goal is to develop materials that raise awareness of the nature of soils as natural bodies and their properties along existing public recreational trails in the Piedmont of North Carolina. The two chosen trails are in close proximity to K-12 educational institutions and a community college and visitation by students from both is anticipated.
Each trail is along a toposequence. Three locations along each trail that highlight changes in soil along the toposeqeunce were selected. Each location will have interpretive signage for easily observed soil properties such as color, texture. In addition, an interactive device to examine soil profiles will be collocated. Students will make observations at each site in order to enhance their knowledge of soils. Such activities can readily be incorporated into the K-12 earth science / environmental / ecological curricula.