Volunteer Days - Invasive Shrubs

I spent some time Saturday and Sunday doing more volunteer time with the DNR. ON Saturday we gathered burn piles of invasive shrubs that had already been cut by the DNR. They do this to maintain the prairie and the native plant life in that environment. It poured on us the whole time, but we kept at it for a couple of hours until the lightning began to strike. There were about 30 volunteers and we accomplished quite a bit in a short time, despite the weather.

On Sunday the rain was gone - just 90 degree weather, sunny skies, and heavy steamy air. We hiked through the woods cutting down invasive Common Buckthorn, Glossy Buckthorn, and Autumn Olive. Each shrub we could find was cut and herbacide was applied to the stump to prevent it from growing again. We also found and removed a few small patches of an invasive species of Parsley.

(Photo by Bill Brandon)

The day was also a great opportunity to learn MANY of the native plants!



Maindenhair Fern
(Adiantum pedatum)
I think this is
Tickseed-Sunflower
(Bidens coronatus),
but it is possibly
Western Sunflower
(Helianthus occidentalis)

White Baneberry
(Actaea pachypoda),
also called Doll's Eyes
TOXIC





Red Baneberry
(Actaea rubra)
Also TOXIC











I'm going to be tagging along on some individual projects for the DNR as well. I'm going to be learning Photo Monitoring, Insect Monitoring, and hopefully Seed Collecting. I get together with one of the current Photo Monitoring volunteers at the end of the month to see how it's done. I'm very much looking forward to it!

Volunteer Day - Mustard Pull

The volunteer day I participated in with the DNR at the end of June went great! We pulled seven garbage bags worth of invasive garlic mustard. I hadn't known what garlic mustard was before the volunteer day. Now that I am able to identify it, I see it ALL OVER!

Here's a video on garlic mustard from the Stewardship Network:

Volunteer Opportunities!

I have recently come across a volunteer opportunity that I am really excited to take part in. The local Michigan State Parks are, with the help of volunteers, removing invasive species and replenishiing native species. For more information on volunteer workdays in Michigan, check out the volunteer schedule on the DNR website.

My first volunteer day is going to be June 27th, as I help remove invasive garlic mustard from a nearby State Park. I'll be sure to report back on how it goes and what else I learn about the volunteer program!

For those with busy schedules, such as myself, there is training available to help people set up individual volunteer projects that can be done on your own, such as native seed collecting, monitoring bug population numbers, invasive plant mapping, or setting up and promoting volunteer workdays. To learn more, check out the Core Volunteer Steward Program.

To find volunteer opportunities in another state, try checking the volunteer page on The Nature Conservancy's website.

This is a great way to help preserve and protect the natural areas that I hope you are all getting a chance to get to out and enjoy!