[Chatham Courier] Twenty campers ranging in age from 4-to-10-years old-explored soil at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Earth Science camp earlier this month.
The campers tested soil samples from around Chatham and found the pH to range from five to eight. During the week-long camp, the children fed worms scraps from the preparation of their snacks, learned about the mulch area in Duchamp Place in Chatham Borough and the Tanglewood Lane compost area accessible by permit in Chatham Township, toured the St. Paul’s gardens with Chatham master gardener John Gardner.
Though Chatham Schools are actively composting food waste with the special Rocket Composting system, households have been slower to actively compost. Gardner showed the campers the difference composting makes to soil.
The campers also met Chatham potter, Jim Mollo, who had them all making pinch pots with clay. The campers learned that soil issues regularly make the news in Chatham, so it’s important to understand why we have rules and regulations regarding development and coverage of property.
