A resolute mission to preserve the University of Wisconsin’s Lakeshore Path has brought special attention to the natural spaces surrounding the area this summer and is expected to continue throughout the school year.

As part of a ‘Lakeshore Nature Preserve’ initiative, which began in June, Muir Woods is currently being revitalized, serving as a model for future restoration projects addressing the Mendota lakeshore area — spanning from near Helen C White Library to Willow Creek.

Since the project began, volunteers and graduate students have been working to map permanent trails, rid invasive plants and counteract more than 100 years of human intervention in the area.

“It will show a lot for the rest of the preserve,” Manager of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve Catherine Bruner said. “It will be like a prototype.”

Because Muir Woods is located in a more “urban context” area than the rest of the natural lands, its preservation will be appreciated and enjoyed by many who frequent the area.

But the popularity of Muir Woods among UW students and staff has been detrimental to the area over the years and is the primary reason why this specific site was chosen to spearhead a larger preservation project.

Glenda Denniston, Vice President of Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve — a non-profit special-interest organization dedicated to lakeshore restoration — said the heavy student traffic in Muir Woods has been hard on the area over the years, but is no reason to discourage people from visiting.

“People love it to death,” Denniston said. “Everybody has their own thing they do there: picnicking, beer parties … whatever.”

Denniston identified “people-erosion” as the main concern to the woods and said visitors to Muir Woods often wander along various indistinct, unmarked paths that form an indeterminable throng.

Due to meandering traffic, people spread invasive plant seeds, upset soil and erode the floor of Muir Woods, she added.

“It’s unintentional. If you don’t walk the trails there, you don’t know which is the main trail,” Denniston said. “People like the secluded trails that wind … that’s what people are looking for, and shortcuts.”

By developing a clear and permanent trail system in the area, Denniston and other involved preservationists hope to make Muir Woods both accessible to people and people-safe.

Rebecca Kagle, a land resources graduate student focusing on restoration ecology, manages the Muir Woods restoration and said the area has potential, but needs nurturing.

“In certain ways it’s this incredible piece of land, but it also hasn’t been managed for a long time,” Kagle said. “There hasn’t been a real vision until this project got going.”

Kagle has been working with Friends of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve to prepare for extra volunteer staff expected to work the area once school commences.

The project has seen little or limited volunteer involvement this summer.

“This summer has been a lot of work getting ready for volunteers,” Kagle said. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse.”

Kagle added the project is always looking for volunteers.