Volunteers Of Arabia: James Madison University Students Beautify The NHA

Check out this photo Field Note by 2 James Madison University students who spent the week of March 16, 2025 volunteering at the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area.

Spring break at Panama City Beach? Nice try. How about a week at the National Heritage Area doing service projects and learning about the local nature and history? That’s exactly what students from James Madison University (JMU) did recently. As an alternative to a more party-themed spring break, JMU’s Alternative Break Program brings students together to engage in deliberate community service across the United States each fall and spring.

From March 16-22, a group of 9 undergraduate students and 1 faculty member from the Virginia university visited the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area for an enriching spring break to work alongside staff of the Arabia Alliance, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve (DAMNP), and The BIPOC Outdoor Collective. The students’ projects included trail maintenance, removing invasive plants, cutting down trees, planting native species, mulching, and renovating the old Arabia Mountain Retreat House. Below are photos that capture the service, learning, and connection the group experienced while visiting Arabia Mountain!

The student crew started the week off strong with a Sunday morning hike led by Ranger Shaundon Moore. The group got acquainted with the land they would be working with throughout the trip.

After returning from their hike, the students piled into their 12-passenger van to visit Atlanta. The highlight of this excursion was visiting the King Center and sitting in a pew at the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. was a member and co-minister.

The crew spent one day of service at historic Lyon Farm. Jennifer Dickie, Arabia Alliance Program Manager, is pictured below telling the stories of the farm’s origin and its people. After the tour, the crew got to work!

Crew member Emily LaBonte took a break to smile for a photo while planting native species in a creek bank on Lyon Farm. The same day, the student volunteers removed invasive Chinese privet and Bradford pear trees, creating an environment where the native plants and birds would thrive.

Working at the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center the next morning, the crew made good use of pitchforks, wheelbarrows and buckets to spread mulch in the picnic area.

Crew member Payton Stavalone helped her team move a felled tree at the Arabia Mountain Retreat House. The group was working on clearing a space in the yard for a driveway. Just before dark, the group went to watch the sunset at Arabia Mountain’s peak. They delighted in watching an hour of gorgeous colors, light painting, and learning how to do picture-perfect headstands without toppling over.
Student volunteer Sianna Batts posed with a mountain of carpet that her team removed from the Retreat House. They did it all in less than a day!After spending the previous day prepping the inside of the Retreat House, the painting crew was excited to finally paint the trim and ceiling. JMU student volunteer Jewel Eppes looks at a hydroponic vertical farm at the Urban Oasis in Stonecrest. Community member Millicent St. Clair invited the crew to her home for a delicious meal, some laughter therapy, and to learn more about hydroponic farming!The students spent their last two nights in the NHA camping under the stars, which was a blast–despite one of their tents blowing away earlier that day while they were working at the Retreat House!And can you really call it camping without a campfire and s’mores?During their last day of service, the JMU student volunteers posed on the Retreat House steps. They were joined by Renee Maisonet, co-founder of The BIPOC Outdoor Collective, who welcomed them to Georgia and served alongside them during their week of service work. The James Madison University crew would like to thank the Arabia Mountain team for the hospitality and learning, and Renee for her passion and impact!
If you or someone you know would like to volunteer in the National Heritage Area, please sign up here!