Georgia Big Day Fundraiser

 Hello Pendleton King Park Stewards!

I have some exciting news to share. Three of my friends and I will be attempting to break the record for the most birds seen in Georgia in a 24-hour period late next week. This is an on-going multi-year effort, and we are striving for 200 species this year. It's a marathon birding event that will take us from Augusta to the coast, and we'll be stopping in at Pendleton King to add a few species in the morning. 

We have been choosing charities to feature and have selected the Pendleton King Restoration Initiative this year as our cause. We're nearing the $4,000 mark of of $5,000 goal and hope to push through! This money will be applied directly to conservation measures at Pendleton King Park to benefit the birds that utilize the woods at PKP. With these funds, we hope to buy chainsaws and sawing equipment to remove exotic invasive trees, native trees to replace the invasive trees, hand tools, PPE, Purple Martin houses, Bluebird boxes, and more. 

Please consider contributing to our GoFundMe and spread the word!!!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/ga-big-day-2023-pendleton-king-park-fundraiser

Saturday in the Park

 Saturday, April 15th was a very busy day in the park! When I arrived at around nine, I was intrigued to see young people filtering in to the meetup point by the tank, apparently outfitted for some manual labor. When I approached them, I was simultaneously shocked, excited, and pleased to learn that Dr. Shannon Gregory of Augusta University offered her students an extra credit opportunity to help cleanup the park.

She had an awesome turnout and set the students loose on trash pickup and an aggressive ivy tirade. I'm so happy to see that the project is making its rounds through the AU circles and community! More hands means more interest and more progress!

So her group, along with my smaller, but equally important crew of three (Diane, Grey, and me) got to it, further combating the English Ivy's unchecked decade-long domination. It was perhaps the nicest day of the year yet, so we enjoyed our time messing around in the woods of the park.

Diane and I were double-booked with another service project at the park at 10, so we transitioned to meeting with Nichelle of the Zeta Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and their young understudies, the local youth of Youth Leadership Institute. Twelve young pupils arrived in matching green T-shirts to learn about tree care, nature, and ecology in general. First we opened with a demo on transplanting trees to prepare them to care for the Northern Red Oak saplings with which they were endowed. 

The kids were a captive audience, so I did my best to indoctrinate them on ecosystems, Longleaf Pine, invasive species, and the like. Of course I had to address Smokey Bear's shady legacy and the importance of fire in our forests. 

Photo cred Nichelle

Following some lessons in nature, we all had a part in yanking up some Ivy and building up a lunch appetite. 

Photo cred Nichelle

It was a pleasure in the park to spend time with these promising youth, and I hope that they return soon to enjoy Pendleton King Park. I'd like to thank Nichelle and Sharika for connecting with us and establishing a meaningful partnership!

It was a wonderful day in the park all around and an omen for good times to come for PKP and its wildlife!

Please come on out for our next workday on May 6th! I'll look for you at the tank at 9am! 

April Fools and April Showers: 4/1/23

 Two brave souls rendezvoused at Pendleton King this morning to put a beating on the English Ivy ahead of a fast-moving storm front. They say April showers bring May flowers, and that may be true, but April Ivy pulling also brings May flowers. The reduced competition that our native plants will face following the removal of these noxious weeds will go a long way in ensuring that they will prosper. 

While the AmeriCorps crew left a large hole to be filled, fellow board member Diane and I were happy to pick up where the Corps and I left off. I'd say we've made a tremendous amount of progress, to the point where treated areas and untouched areas are starting to look starkly different.

Diane made a great Ivy pulling companion, and I am extremely grateful for the hours of work she put in before the storm bore down upon us and sent us home a tad before noon.

In keeping with a trend, a few critters enriched our time and reminded us of the fruitfulness of our labor. A Green Tree Frog that we turned up had a particularly beautiful back pattern.

We'll let it rest for another two weeks and we'll be back at it at 9am on April 15th! I sure hope to see some more smiling faces! Diane and I hardly put a dent on the cookies!