2024 Ain't Ready

 1/6/24

Eight people convened for OUR FIRST WORKDAY OF THE YEAR!!! on this Saturday afternoon. I was happy that the Ivy League was as flexible as we were since it rained all night, and wet conditions favored an afternoon meeting. 

We spent the day attacking woodies to minimize our exposure to the damp ground layer. Our campaign against the woodies connected us between our usual work area and the upper swamp overlook that is waiting to be revamped. 

As you can see from the photos, the English Ivy forms a veritable monoculture at ground level here. We'll have to follow up with backpack spraying to deal with that disaster. But alas, our work areas are gaining connectivity, and when we can find some time to spray the English Ivy, we'll have completed a true first pass of some of the most valuable wetland buffer areas in the Park. 

What can I say? Yet another great day of fellowship, park stewardship, and exotic plant butt-kicking. We can't be stopped!!

1/15/24

Today was a special day for the PKP Restoration Initiative not just because we convened on the day that remembers the remarkable legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. but because we hosted OUR FIRST WEED WRANGLE!!!

What's a Weed Wrangle you ask? It's a dedicated effort aimed at controlling invasive exotic plants, seasoned with a healthy dose of good publicity. The fantastic Georgia Native Plant Society oversaw this inaugural annual statewide effort in which native plant enthusiasts across the state came together to step up and fight the tide of exotic plants that continue to bear down upon our most precious natural areas. See:

https://gnps.org/32741-2/#:~:text=GNPS%20will%20host%20our%20first,trees%2C%20vines%20and%20flowering%20plants.

As I mentioned in my last post, the new local chapter of GNPS, Augusta's River Region Chapter, joined our hardy Ivy League to reclaim the sacred ground of PKP's woods. As part of this special effort, we bore down upon a heinously infested strip of woods between holes 6 and 7 on the disc golf course. Our hardworking group of 10 volunteers (and an accompanying photographer) ripped through the work area, to the relief of the overburdened native vegetation that has taken a stalwart stance against the invaders.

Dekay's Brown Snake

Red Salamander

These images of our hard work sure do make my heart sing. Hopefully this effort will be the first of many years of Weed Wrangles in PKP!!!

//

IN OTHER NEWS

2024 ain't gonna be no slouch. Check out this production masterpiece by new PKP board member and Ivy League vet Anthony and his producer/director wife!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKDBfE6F8vc

I commend them for their vision and execution of this awesome production! How about that for a hype video for the Ivy League!!

And finally, in conclusion, it's time for the Restoration Initiative to switch gears a bit with our next undertaking. With spring rapidly approaching, the moment has arrived for us to give our "black thumbs" a rest and to cultivate our green thumbs. On Friday I will be picking up over 100 native tree saplings from the Georgia Forestry Commission for a massive native tree planting effort in the Park. We'll need all hands on deck for this coming workday Saturday, February 3rd. Come join the Restoration Initiative for a spring planting day and be rewarded with the usual cookies and also a native tree or two to take home!!

See you in the Park!