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You can make a difference in your community. We can help!Invasive Species Removal on the Appalachian Trail
The Defenders of Wildlife Volunteer Corps has teamed up with the National Park Service for the last several years to remove invasive species
such as Oriental bittersweet, garlic mustard, autumn olive, multiflora rose and Japanese
honeysuckle, along the Appalachian
Trail in Virginia.
Our most recent effort was in May 2009, when a scrappy group of volunteers braved the elements, ticks and poison ivy to remove garlic mustard from the trail area. The threat of rain loomed heavy and we definitely got soggy, but at the end of our day the Corps had managed to cover 2.6 acres of trail and succeeded in filling 25 garbage bags with garlic mustard!
Our removal of garlic mustard will benefit numerous species, both plant and animal, along the Trumbo Hollow section of the Appalachian Trail. Garlic mustard’s roots secrete a chemical which prevents native plants from growing and the rare West Virginia white butterfly has also been affected by this plant. Mistaking it for “toothwort” wildflower and laying their eggs on the leaves, they do not realize that garlic mustard is toxic to their eggs, preventing them from hatching.
James Akerson, part of the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Management Team at the National Park Service, led the project and taught volunteers how to identify and pull the invasive plant.
Upkeep of the Appalachian Trail is completely on a volunteer basis. The National Park Service receives no funding for trail maintenance and the Defenders of Wildlife Volunteer Corps was more than happy to partner with James and the National Park Service to lend its services again this year. We hope to get out there a few more times before the season is over so check our Events Page for upcoming projects!
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