2008 Woodie Awards
Botanical Garden needs help to uproot invader
KATIE KUTZLI For The Red & Black
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: News
Another Saturday between the hedges?
The same shrub that has nostalgic value for football fans is taking over the Southeast. The hedges are Chinese privet and when this plant escapes cultivation, it harms local ecosystems.
The Botanical Garden needs volunteers to uproot the invader. You can help this Saturday at the Privet Pull and Wildflower Ramble from 1 to 4 p.m.
Heather Alley, a lab coordinator at the Plant Conservation and Research Lab, will lead a walk through the gardens to show the effects of this species.
It will begin in a garden of native wildflowers to show the diversity of what grows in a healthy ecosystem. The walk will continue down the white trail, where privet runs wild.
"When you have an invasion of privet, you lose that diversity," Alley said. "All you have is 30-foot privet. This affects everything from soil composition to the types of animals that live there." After the walk, volunteers will help pull up the species.
Privet arrived at the Botanical Garden in the early 1900s as an ornamental hedge. It escaped cultivation and spread quickly through birds that eat its berries in the fall and winter. Sterile forms of privet are still sold, but Alley said that wild genes can return over time and contribute to further infestation.
A sign on the white trail explains the University's current research on privet removal methods. The same sign can be found at the Sandy Creek Nature Center.
Kate Mowbray, a naturalist at the center, said that privet has also infested part of Sandy Creek and the Oconee National Forest.
"Privet pulling is a constant battle," Mowbray said. "It takes many volunteers and lots of time to make a difference in a small area, but with the efforts being made … we will continue to make progress in clearing the privet."
Sandy Creek has natural resource workdays for volunteers on the second Saturday of each month. If a group is interested, they will schedule a workday just for them.
Lucy McLees, a sophomore from Macon, volunteered at a privet pull in February with the service organization Alpha Phi Omega.
"Projects like the privet pull give me a way to help the environment instead of always taking our world for granted," she said.
Other members of the organization will be attending the Privet Pull and Wildflower Ramble this weekend. Michael Johnston, a graduate student from Hull, said the privet pull in the past was a fun way to meet people and learn about local plants.
"Helping the parks stay beautiful is always a good way to de-stress about school stuff while taking out physical stress at the same time," he said.
Anyone who is interested is encouraged to attend this weekend's event at the Botanical Garden.
Volunteers should meet Heather Alley at the Shade Garden arbor at 1 p.m. and bring gloves and water.
Contact information and a map can be found at www.uga.edu/botgarden.
The same shrub that has nostalgic value for football fans is taking over the Southeast. The hedges are Chinese privet and when this plant escapes cultivation, it harms local ecosystems.
The Botanical Garden needs volunteers to uproot the invader. You can help this Saturday at the Privet Pull and Wildflower Ramble from 1 to 4 p.m.
Heather Alley, a lab coordinator at the Plant Conservation and Research Lab, will lead a walk through the gardens to show the effects of this species.
It will begin in a garden of native wildflowers to show the diversity of what grows in a healthy ecosystem. The walk will continue down the white trail, where privet runs wild.
"When you have an invasion of privet, you lose that diversity," Alley said. "All you have is 30-foot privet. This affects everything from soil composition to the types of animals that live there." After the walk, volunteers will help pull up the species.
Privet arrived at the Botanical Garden in the early 1900s as an ornamental hedge. It escaped cultivation and spread quickly through birds that eat its berries in the fall and winter. Sterile forms of privet are still sold, but Alley said that wild genes can return over time and contribute to further infestation.
A sign on the white trail explains the University's current research on privet removal methods. The same sign can be found at the Sandy Creek Nature Center.
Kate Mowbray, a naturalist at the center, said that privet has also infested part of Sandy Creek and the Oconee National Forest.
"Privet pulling is a constant battle," Mowbray said. "It takes many volunteers and lots of time to make a difference in a small area, but with the efforts being made … we will continue to make progress in clearing the privet."
Sandy Creek has natural resource workdays for volunteers on the second Saturday of each month. If a group is interested, they will schedule a workday just for them.
Lucy McLees, a sophomore from Macon, volunteered at a privet pull in February with the service organization Alpha Phi Omega.
"Projects like the privet pull give me a way to help the environment instead of always taking our world for granted," she said.
Other members of the organization will be attending the Privet Pull and Wildflower Ramble this weekend. Michael Johnston, a graduate student from Hull, said the privet pull in the past was a fun way to meet people and learn about local plants.
"Helping the parks stay beautiful is always a good way to de-stress about school stuff while taking out physical stress at the same time," he said.
Anyone who is interested is encouraged to attend this weekend's event at the Botanical Garden.
Volunteers should meet Heather Alley at the Shade Garden arbor at 1 p.m. and bring gloves and water.
Contact information and a map can be found at www.uga.edu/botgarden.
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