The Eau Claire Parks and Forest Department is teaming up with university student organizations to provide the community with service through a new program called Adopt-a-Park.

The park to be adopted is Big Falls County Park, located about 10 miles outside Eau Claire. Student organizations can sign up to care for the park for a set period of time.

The program was developed in December of last year when John Staszcuk, director of the Eau Claire County Parks and Forest Department, contacted Paul Butrymowicz, student leadership and organizations coordinator, about bringing the Parks and Forest Department and the university together.

“Right now, we’re just starting to get the word out,” Butrymowicz said. Together, they hope to bring this new program into full-swing by the end of this month.

All university organizations are encouraged to participate, Butrymowicz said.

“This opportunity is for anybody and everybody. It’s a project that any of our student organizations can get involved in,” he said. “It’s a chance for students to give back to their community.”

The first step to get involved in Adopt-a-Park is for a representative from an organization to meet with Butrymowicz and decide on a contract.

This contract will state the group’s responsibilities and the length of time that the organization will be responsible for its duties. The duties would include picking up litter and trash, clearing paths and trails, sweeping and maintaining the park’s shelters and reporting damage such as broken or weathered signs.

The ideal amount of time for an organization to adopt the park is three months, Butrymowicz said. After the contract has expired, the organization may renew the contract or build another.

The organization will set its own schedule, Butrymowicz said. The schedule will be created around the days that work best for its members.

The Parks and Forest Department will provide all the utensils and tools needed to maintain the park and any specific training that is needed.

Sophomore LeAnn Korecky, the International Association of Business Communicators’ community service chairwoman, said its important to be involved in the community.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to show that we are involved in the community, to show that we care, and that we’re not just going to school, but participating in the community,” she said.

Korecky said she thinks three months is a good amount of time to adopt a park. Her group has not made plans to participate in the program yet.

“It’s a good length of time and after the three months, you can always do it again.”