In two years of work, students have taken an ignored and brush-choked forest and remade it into a real-life nature exhibit. They've threaded a trail through the wooded patch of ground next to school athletic fields, and dotted it with interpretive markers. A guide describes habitat areas.

No one could be more surprised by the amount of wildlife the small wood supports than the students who worked on the project.

"I really didn't know how the animals could adapt to such a small space," says fifth-grader Rachelle Kirkendall.

Deer and fox regularly cross the raked walking path, fifth-grader Whitney Duarte tells a small group of first-grade students as she guides them along the trail.

And trees and brush protect a variety of birds, Rachelle adds.

"Even though there's lots of kids and noise, the birds can still adapt," Rachelle tells younger students.

Fifth-grade students began leading younger students on woodland hikes this week, using the newly printed interpretive guides for reference.

The guides describe seven sites, noting, for example, that blackberry thickets shelter quail and pheasant, and mistletoe clinging to oak branches eventually will kill the tree.

First-grader Adrienne Kious is impressed.

"I love it," she says midway through her class' nature walk Tuesday. She says her favorite spot is the birdhouse -- empty now -- made by one of last year's fifth-grade trail workers.

Last year's class began the project, with the assistance of naturalist Jim Hutchins from Rural Outdoor Education of Jacksonville. Students raked and cleared much of the trail.

This year's class set up interpretive stations and researched, wrote and illustrated the nature trail guide. Nearly every Thursday afternoon, students say, they spent some time on the project.

Next fall, fifth-graders will finish the project by identifying and labeling trees.

Teacher Carol Wolf says trailblazing has been a good addition to the science curriculum. From working in the woods, students more easily grasp lessons in the classroom.

And students gain an appreciation for nature, Wolf says.

The project also helps students develop research, writing and public speaking skills, Hutchins notes.

Even more beneficial, he adds, is the sense of pride the project imparts: "Pride in themselves, their school and their community."

Hutchins, through his nonprofit education program, assists teachers and students in nature projects across southwestern Oregon.

The Oak Grove project grew from a casual conversation with Principal Art Peterson, who once taught Hutchins' son at Jacksonville School. Peterson asked Hutchins if he had any ideas for making use of the wooded site.

Years ago, the patch was the district's tree nursery, providing seedlings for other schools. Later, students planted seedlings for a permanent stand. Youngsters had to water them by hand because there was no sprinkler system.

Despite that early attention, Peterson says, the area became overgrown and ignored.