After standing in the late-morning sun for about 10 minutes, listening to an Oregon State University College Forests intern explain the safe use of trail-building tools, the Corvallis Youth Volunteer Corps group seemed to have only one question:

"Can we please go in the shade?" one volunteer piped up.

As part of Corvallis Parks and Recreation's youth volunteer program, the group spent a few hours Tuesday clearing and constructing trails in OSU's McDonald-Dunn Forest.

Located just north of Corvallis, the 11,250-acre research forest boasts 22 miles of trails, open to the community for hiking, mountain biking and other nonmotorized recreation.

After donning hard hats and blaze-orange safety vests, the six middle school-aged children began hacking at blackberry bushes, sawing down overhanging branches and scraping grass from the side of the trail with hoes.

In her second year with the program, Cheldelin Middle School eighth-grader Katie Bryan, 13, talked about her experience with the Youth Volunteer Corps while she used a limb trimmer to saw off a high branch.

Katie signed up for one week of volunteer work last year and liked it so much that this year she is signing up for two weeks.

"I tried to fit in as much as I could this year because I really like it," she said. "I also just feel good about helping out in my community."

Her favorite job with the Youth Volunteer Corps is to work at the Heartland Humane Society, where the volunteers lend a hand a few times each week.

The Youth Volunteer Corps program offers 10 one-week sessions throughout the summer and runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Parks and Recreation still has room for more children this summer in the program.

Volunteer activities range from trail work and landscaping at city parks to working with animals and younger children, said Youth Volunteer Corps team leader Margaret De Bona.

A Youth Volunteer Corps team is even organizing a skateboarding competition at the Corvallis skate park on July 21.

"Some youths do it for several weeks in a row. It just depends on their interest," De Bona said. "We do community service but also try to develop their sense of cooperation and community-building at the same time."

In the heat of the summer, the volunteers also have fun cooling off after all their hard work with water games and other fun activities.

"Sometimes we go out and hang out by the river and stick our toes in," De Bona said.

Joseph Moran and Joey Miller, both 12, made quick work of clearing the dry grass from around a plaque commemorating a planting of ponderosa pines.

This is Joseph's first week with the Youth Volunteer Corps, and he is enjoying it enough to sign up for a second week, he said.

"I like helping out," said Joseph, who is in seventh grade at Linus Pauling Middle School.

Joey, who is home-schooled and also in the seventh grade, especially liked playing with the rabbits at the Humane Society on Monday, but he enjoyed trail construction, too.

"It's really fun," he said. "But tiring. Really hot."

Trail construction did not please everyone on the crew.

Cheldelin seventh-grader Trevor Rowney, 12, worked hard but was not enthused.

"I would rather be at home," Trevor said. "Chilling out, watching TV, playing with friends."

at a glance

Volunteer opportunities at McDonald-Dunn Forest:

Numerous volunteer opportunities are offered at OSU's McDonald-Dunn Forest.

Trail construction events are open to the public will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and again on Aug. 4 and 28.

For directions and information on this and other McDonald-Dunn Forest volunteer opportunities, contact OSU College Forests recreation manager Chris Jackson at 737-6702 or christopher.jackson@oregonstate. edu.