Spring Break, Shawnee-Style
Skip the beach and soak in your national public lands
Samantha Hall, Shawnee National Forest
April 2, 2026
While many college students hit the beach for spring break, Boston University and University of Illinois students spent theirs volunteering on the Shawnee National Forest.
Boston University students assisted Shawnee National Forest trail staff with a variety of tasks during their five-day stay at the forest. The group cleared 10 trees and made trail repairs on Trail No. 389in the Panther Den Wilderness, using crosscut saws, axes, loopers and hand saws. Their visit is part of a national Alternative Spring Break program, a weeklong service program that places students with local organizations across the country to engage and educate.
"These students play an essential role in the stewardship of our trails, recreational sites, and Wilderness areas by executing critical trail maintenance and gathering valuable data regarding wilderness character, wildlife migration patterns, and visitor usage,” said Shawnee National Forest Volunteer Coordinator, Alyssa Macuiba.
Macuiba hosted alternative service break trips on the Shawnee National Forest for seven Boston University students March 8-14, 2026, and 12 University of Illinois students March 15-21, 2026.
Alternative Spring Breaks is a weeklong service program that places students with local organizations across the country to address social issues. The program engages and educates students, building social awareness and inspiring lifelong service.
“I liked feeling fulfilled and satisfied after each workday,” said University of Illinois student, Lauren Jones. “It’s not often as a college student that you get to see a physical product of your hard work. I [also] made valuable connections with Forest Service scientists and trail crew members.”
During their five-day visit, students spent approximately 35 hours volunteering on the Shawnee National Forest, focusing on public land stewardship through opportunities like clearing five miles of wilderness trails and assisting in wildlife surveys on Snake Road.
“This week was one that’ll be unforgettable,” said Boston University student, Immaculate Njoroge. “We got to some awesome activities like giving trails a haircut (clearing paths), picking up trash from within the forest, covering up [unofficial] trails so that the [developed] ones would be used, and did some daily reflections that got us thinking of greater issues and ways to resolve them. Overall, we got close to one another; from strangers to friends to almost what I’d call a family.”
Led by Shawnee trail crew staff, Boston University students cleared 10 trees and made trail repairs on Trail No. 389in the Panther Den Wilderness, using crosscut saws, axes, loopers and hand saws. They also cleared 15 trees from Trail No. 433 and 405 in the Lusk Creek Wilderness and Indian Kitchen Natural Area.
“Through their dedicated efforts, these volunteers have significantly advanced forest health, ecosystem integrity, and visitor safety," Macuiba said.
University of Illinois students work together as a team using a crosscut saw to remove a downed tree from a wilderness area on the Shawnee National Forest. The group assisted in making trails safer for the public by removing 7 trees and conducting trail maintenance on King Hollow Trail in the Clear Springs Wilderness, as well as removing an additional 30 trees from Lusk Creek Wilderness on trails No. 481, 483, 001, and 481 B during their five-day visit to the forest.
Jones and her fellow University of Illinois students assisted in making trails safer for the public by removing 7 trees and conducting trail maintenance on King Hollow Trail in the Clear Springs Wilderness, as well as removing an additional 30 trees from Lusk Creek Wilderness on trails No. 481, 483, 001, and 481 B.
“Protecting public lands is important a multitude of reasons: maintaining native species habitats, providing a sense of sanctuary for people, and ensuring that future generations can experience the same environment that we can,” said Clarie Holland, Boston University volunteer. “Through mechanisms like controlled burns, general education and trail maintenance, we can ensure the survival of our public land.”
Volunteering on the Shawnee National Forest
Volunteers make a lasting difference on Shawnee National Forest. They restore habitat, clean up trails and creeks, protect wildlife, extend Forest Service capacity, and support science through data collection and citizen science.
Student volunteers in Macuiba’s alternative spring break group extend Forest Service capacity, keeping trails safe and conservation projects on track.
“They encourage community connection and growth, protect natural resources, and enable conservation projects that would otherwise remain unfunded and uncompleted,” Macuiba said.
University of Illinois Extension and Friends of the Shawnee hosted a Trash Blast where volunteers removed more than 1,000 pounds of trash from Forest Service Road 1901.
On that particular Forest Service road, Macuiba explained, they’ve had six clean up days over the last two years, with more than 65 volunteers, and removed just under 9,000lbs of trash, 160 tires, 10 TVs, one swimming pool, four couches, tons of car parts and house construction materials, a lawn mower, two toilets, and one sink throughout the years.
“Volunteering in nature offers a wealth of benefits, not just for the health of our forest, but also for our own well-being,” Macuiba said. “Engaging in nature-focused volunteering activities helps reduce stress levels and enhance mental clarity, challenging our bodies through physical fitness, fosters meaningful connections through community engagement and team building, and plays a vital role in conservation efforts.”
If you’re interested in volunteering on the Shawnee National Forest, you can call any district office, or you can our website to get information on upcoming volunteer events like the monthly Trash Blasts events and non-native invasive species removals events. You can also get involved and volunteer though one of our forest partner groups like Friends of the Shawnee National Forest, Illinois Extension, Backcountry Horsemen of Illinois, and Shawnee Mountain Bike Association.
University of Illinois students dedicated this year’s spring break to volunteering with the forest, as part of a national program called Alternative Spring Break. During their five-day visit, students spent approximately 35 hours volunteering on the Shawnee, focusing on public land stewardship through opportunities like clearing five miles of wilderness trails and assisting in wildlife surveys on Snake Road.
Boston University students chose to spend their spring break volunteering on the Shawnee as part of the national Alternative Spring Break program, a weeklong service program that places students with local organizations across the country to engage and educate, building social awareness and inspiring lifelong service.