Butler County is fortunate to have access to outdoor spaces like Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Education Center, Butler-Freeport Community Trail and North Country Trail.

It’s easy to take for granted these resources, located so close to home. The ability to hike, bike, have a picnic or just enjoy being outside is a short distance away with these locations scattered around the county.

Even smaller locations like Preston Park and Alameda Park can offer respite.

But all of the above take significant effort to maintain. That work is often completed by volunteers, who fly under the radar, cleaning up trees that fall across trails and working to ensure the space is maintained for families to enjoy any time of year.

For instance, we recently reported that Butler County is now home to a National Park. North Country Trail was recognized by the National Park Service. The trail is the longest of the 11 National Scenic Trails in the United States, stretching 4,800 miles from North Dakota to Vermont.

The portion that stretches through Butler County is tended to by the North Country Trail Association’s Butler County Chapter — a group of volunteers.

The recognition, Jan Genaway, president of the North Country Trail Association’s Butler County Chapter, said would hopefully help the nonprofit gain supporters or volunteers to help maintain the trail.

Those volunteers are crucial to maintaining the trail locally.

Meanwhile, in Butler Township, volunteers have met regularly to keep Preston Park clean. Last April, we wrote about the “Monday Morning Maintenance Crew,” which had been meeting at Preston Park almost every Monday of the spring and summer since 2011.

More pressingly, the Butler-Freeport Trail is currently seeking volunteers for a work session planned for this Saturday, Feb. 3, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Volunteers will help trim and cut trees as part of ongoing work to extend the trail 0.6 mile to the south.

Those interested can meet up at the South Laneville parking lot in Freeport at 9 a.m. on Saturday with equipment of their own.

If you enjoy using the trails, be sure to thank these volunteers whenever possible. Consider spending a morning helping maintain the space for future adventures or make a donation to the groups that put in the work on a Saturday morning.

— TL