Members of the Cypress Lakes High School Science National Honor Society helped clean up the Cy-Fair Nature Trails and helped create a new tree trail, which was named the Spartan Tree Trail in honor of the students. The newly created trail won the Wildcard Category in the 2021 Texas Arbor Day Contest.

Dec. 9, 2021—Members of the Cypress Lakes High School Science National Honor Society, in partnership with the Cy-Fair Nature Trails, won the “The Most Unique Tree Trail” award in the 2021 Texas Arbor Day Contest for the newly created “Spartan Tree Trail.”

Pam Flanagan, coordinator for elementary and sixth grade science, reached out to the Cypress Lakes Science National Honor Society asking if they would be interested in helping clean up the trails. As a fun activity for students to participate in after helping clean up, Flanagan and her team found the Texas Arbor Day Contest and decided to create a tree trail that was entered into the contest.

The annual contest is hosted by the Texas A&M Forest Service in conjunction with Texas Arbor Day, held the first Friday of November. This year’s contest featured four categories and focused on tree trials, an application developed by the Texas A&M Forest Service to help map and measure trees and calculate the real dollar benefits that trees provide communities. The new trail at Nature Trails was officially named the Spartan Tree Trail in honor of Cypress Lakes students helping create it.

Members of the Cypress Lakes High School Science National Honor Society measure and map trees for the newly created Spartan Tree Trail at the Cy-Fair Nature Trails. Each tree in the trail is a different species.

“I’m so proud of my students’ work in helping to document the remarkable diversity of trees found at the nature trails and doing their part in ensuring that these amazing organisms are preserved for future students to enjoy and learn from,” said Matt Wells, Cypress Lakes Science National Honor Society sponsor. “My students are proud to play a part in this investment and are looking forward to future opportunities to maintain the trail!”

In addition to winning the “Most Unique Tree Trail,” the Cy-Fair Nature Trails received 10 new trees to plant and a $500 cash prize. Flanagan said the trees and the money will help replace vegetation that was lost due to the freeze in February 2021.

Visit the Texas Arbor Day Contest website for more information.