UNION GROVE STATE PARK – GMG Secondary took a schoolwide field trip this past Wednesday to Union Grove State Park south of Gladbrook in honor of Earth Day, marking the first time the campus has undertaken such a trip in over seven years, according to teachers Casey Faircloth and Erin Murty who organized the stellar event. In the morning, mixed-grade groups of students working in 45-minute increments helped Iowa DNR staff, including GMG’s own Colton Hauser, plant 1,000 bare root oak trees along sloping areas surrounding Union Grove Lake’s northwest corner – plantings which are certain to help with the lake’s continuing water-quality troubles. Despite the presence of ticks, the hot sun, and occasional itchy grasses – of which precautions were taken by school staff! – students who spoke to the newspaper expressed pride in the work. The day trip also included an ecology talk, hiking, litter removal, and a grilled burger lunch after which students were given the opportunity to enjoy yard games, canoe/kayak, and fish before heading home.