Volunteers Needed to Help Control Invasive Plants in City Parks

[Help is needed removing invasive plants such as bush honeysuckle.|image:22032,right]FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 13, 2015

For more information, please contact:
Kim Ecenbarger, Special Services Coordinator, City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, 812.349.3739 or [ecenbark@bloomington.in.gov|mailto:ecenbark@bloomington.in.gov]

Bloomington, Ind. - The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department has launched an all-volunteer program to help address invasive plant issues in Griffy Lake Nature Preserve.

Adopt-an-Acre volunteers are needed to monitor and remove invasive plants at Griffy Lake, where populations of invasive honeysuckle, winter creeper and multiflora rose are out-competing and taking over native plant populations.

Steve Cotter, Natural Resources Manager with Bloomington Parks and Recreation, said the Parks and Recreation Department needs assistance to keep up with rapidly spreading invasive plant populations.

"The goal of the Adopt-an-Acre program is to empower volunteers to turn the tide, and allow native species to thrive in Bloomington's city parks," Cotter said.

Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department staff will provide training for volunteers in the areas of plant identification, ad effective plant removal and monitoring techniques. The department will also equip its Adopt-an-Acre volunteer with proper tools for removing invasive plants.

Volunteers will periodically inspect their adopted areas, and complete and submit inspection reports to the Parks and Recreation Department. Volunteers will als manually control specific invasive plant species identified by the Adopt-an-Acre coordinator.

Five parcels of land of various sizes in the Griffy lake Nature Preserve are available for adoption during the pilot program. [Applications from individuals, organizations, and groups will be accepted online until Feb. 28.|https://docs.google.com/a/bloomington.in.gov/forms/d/1wacPH9QidYbpoqKHlQHG6Ef1jkxbhpewkyZhBNla9rA/viewform#start=invite] Volunteer orientation takes place the week of March 23. The one-year Adopt-an-Acre appointment begins April 1.

For more information about the Adopt-an-Acre program, contact Kim Ecenbarger, Special Services Coordinator, at 812.349.3739 or via e-mail at [ecenbark@bloomington.in.gov|mailto:ecenbark@bloomington.in.gov]

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