The splendor of fall is on full display at Washington Park. Volunteers who want to help improve the woodlands at Washington Park are welcome to join the Sangamon Valley Sierra Club at an invasive species removal event from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. Anyone interested should meet at the end of the parking lot by the tennis courts on the south side of the park. No special skills are required. Training as well as safety and removal equipment will be provided. Wear gloves and if you have tools, bring pruners and loppers.
Jake Carman is a local Sierra Club member who lives near Washington Park and has observed the problems of non-native invasive plants while walking through the woodlands. He works as a counselor with Pepper Brown and Associates and volunteers in his free time. Carman said he is committed to helping protect the environment and wanted to do something personally that would have a positive impact in the community.
Carman reached out to the Springfield Park District to offer his assistance and works in collaboration with the staff responsible for managing the park’s natural resources. Carman, along with Denise Church and some additional volunteers, have been clearing Amur honeysuckle and wintercreeper from the hill behind the tennis courts.
“We just love this park,” said Church. “This is something I can do to make things better.”
Chuck Smith is Springfield Park District’s superintendent of natural resources, arborist and volunteer coordinator who has been collaborating with Carman.
“Our partnership helps maintain the understory of an old growth oak-hickory forest,” said Smith. Volunteers cut the trunks and vines and drag the vegetation into large piles, which the park district staff then removes. Carman says his long-term goal is to eliminate invasive species in the woodlands throughout the park and then have an ongoing volunteer stewardship group help keep invasives at bay.
Amur honeysuckle and wintercreeper are aggressive, non-native species that shade out native species. Removal of these species will help to restore native plants, improve biodiversity and expand wildlife habitat.
Washington Park is a popular 150-acre park established in 1901 that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Given the diversity of natural, cultural and recreational resources at Washington Park and the many other parks in Springfield, it is challenging for the staff to manage all that needs to be done. Volunteer groups that work in partnership with the Park District can have a big impact. The many pollinator gardens in parks throughout Springfield is another example of a successful partnership between the Springfield Park District and dedicated volunteers.
