On Friday, Oct. 11 the service learning team arrived once again at Fort Harrison State Park.
In the previous blog, we talked about the methods employed to remove bush honeysuckle from the Delaware Picnic Area. The map at the top of the screen shows the area that has been the subject of what are now four service learning projects at Fort Harrison State Park. The picnic area is situated along Fall Creek and adjacent to a small lake. We started along the far west end of the picnic area and proceeded east. This past Friday we continued east toward the trail and cleaned all the way back to creek on the north side of the Delaware Picnic Area. The plan is to continue all around the lake in future projects.
Everyone could really appreciate the results of this work. We removed mountains of bush honeysuckle. What seemed like a wall of solid vegetation was quickly reduced and instant results could be witnessed by all. When we ended the day one could stand at the picnic tables and see easily back into the woods to the stream which was not possible only hours before.
We were also able to give attention to a copse previously attended by a group of volunteer boy scouts. The area along the trail and this copse were also infested with an invasive tree called autumn olive. After removal of these trees and the old growth honeysuckle with chainsaws, not much else was left standing. However, this will all grow back quickly so we must plan to bring volunteers back from more projects over the coming years to ensure the efficacy of our efforts while also expanding our area of impact.
