Turf Restoration

One of Puerto Rico's most important landmarks, Castle San Felipe del Morro sits on the northern coast of the island, overlooking the old city of San Juan. Now more than 400 years old, the castle has been through almost everything; from raging battles, to devastating hurricanes, to eager tourists. All this activity has slowly damaged the condition of the 27 acres of turf surrounding the fort, as well as the structure itself. Our main mission is to restore the vitality of the terrain by planting new sod and leveling out the ground. Other minor projects and tasks within the area will include:

• trimming 
• weeding and maintaining the bastions 
• picking up trash
• adding topsoil in areas with minimal damage
• removing graffiti from the walls
• removing beach grapes from the walls

Boricorps and San Juan National Historic Site

Last December, Boricorps finished the turf restoration project and participated from other duties related to historic conservation and turf maintenance. During the last two years the crew members acquired experience in the use of chainsaw, brush cutters, sod cutters, mowers and industrial mowers.

Getting involved

Boricorps SAJU had the experience to volunteer at the visitor centre by receiving and orienting the public about the services. Some of our crew members had the opportunity of participating of the living history program. During these activities the members were able to develop networking and communication skills.

The members of this project have different backgrounds, some of them were interested in history and archaeology.  These members were volunteers at the NPS SAJU Archive, where they had hands on experience with the archaeological collection, maintenance and restoration of cannons, and archival collection.