Friends of Blackwater was recently awarded a grant from the National Forest Foundation to begin the Blackwater Rail Trail Botanical Restoration project. Today, on the Blackwater Canyon Rail-Trail, non-native “invasive species” like autumn olive, stiltweed, multiflora rose, garlic mustard, and Japanese honeysuckle, and barberry are choking out native plants like milkweed, an essential host for migrating Monarch butterflies.
This project will help remove many of the worst invasive species- those that present the most harm to native plants and animals- and replant the area with beneficial native species, many of which will be grown from seeds collected from existing native plant populations!
This project won’t be possible without the help of volunteers and since all the tasks will be completed outside or at your home, the risks associated with COVID-19 exposure are minimal or non-existent.
Volunteering Opportunities:
- Identifying and tagging invasive species in Fall 2020
- Participating in work days to remove targeted invasive species
- Grow native seedlings at your home to plant in Spring 2021
- Participate in native species planting days in Spring 2021
Visit our volunteering page here and tell us how you’d like to help with this restoration project! Contact emmie@saveblackwater.org for more information.
