<div class="ck-content"><h4>MLK Jr. Day Massive Bolin Creek Privet Removal</h4><p>I mentioned last week a slow start at Brumley preserve. Well, we kicked invasive removal into high gear for 2024 on January 15th, when members of two churches (Chapel of the Cross and University Baptist), along with a solid cohort from the Ironwoods community turned out for a massive sweep of privet from the area between Bolin Creek and Bolin Creek Trail near Cafe Driade. Thirty humans + lovely dog Penny ventured into the very wet floodplain, grabbed every lopper, saw, and Buckthorn Blaster they could get their hands on and got to work.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1cm9D7D1KRNhMxS6SmG8MGNWmpLimnSh6&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="600" height="400"></div><h4>Freezing Cold? Who cares, say these volunteers</h4><p>On January 14, I had no volunteers signed up for the January 20th tree rescue at Brumley. That was no big surprise to me. My phone told me it was going to be about 20 degrees at 10 AM that day. I assumed I would be cancelling. Then, all throughout the week, people started registering. Come Friday, I had nine people signed up! I sent them an email to give them an “out” - don't feel bad if you don't want to go out on such a cold day.</p><p>Ha. Ha ha. I felt so humbled come Saturday morning when <i>everyone</i> showed up. Three showed up a bit late and they actually <i>found</i> us down by the creek. Well. We had a great time. It was too cold to use herbicide, so instead we dismantled very large privet that I'd chainsawed a few months ago (I didn't want to let the berries mature). They fell in place, all over and around a small streamlet running alongside Wood Duck Way.</p><p>You can check out all the photos from that event <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lgK9K49YatSPBCiZi_S-FghwquHeSA0F">here</a>. We got an awful lot done. Here's the crew:</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1k9TjdO7XsAL3fleQEo2JFva6mvsuW8sV&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="600" height="400"></div><p>And here's a before/after to give you a sense of their accomplishments. The effects of their work today? Deer and other creatures will be able to get to the streamlet more easily; new native trees will be able to grow more easily; we will be able to return to this location and more easily help ensure those survive; finally, visitors to Brumley will enjoy a clearer view of the increasingly intact native ecosystem.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1jJTu2bIj_goUUh24r4xKebGUwU_IiHeq&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="600" height="200"></div><h4>Volunteer at Carolina North</h4><p>I got some very exciting news lately, that UNC had hired a volunteer coordinator for Carolina North. I've quickly noticed her impact. On my walk today on the Nature Observation Trail, I came across my favorite kind of autumn olive: horizontal, pulled out by the roots with a weed wrench. Hard work, but oh so satisfying! </p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1OIjQWBGTaBW-1EEuiu8xVWnrbzXk1_aY&sz=w600-h400" alt="Horizontal olive at Carolina North" width="600" height="400"></div><p>Unfortunately there are literally acres of olive, along with the absolute worst privet wasteland along the creek - almost nothing but massive privets. So. They need lots of help. If you'd like to help remove invasives at Carolina North, visit their <a href="https://facilities.unc.edu/carolina-north-forest/volunteer-opportunities/">Volunteer Opportunities page</a> and follow the instructions. </p><h4> </h4></div><p>Resources you might find useful:</p><ul><li><a href="https://shop.naisma.org/collections/buckthorn-blaster">Buckthorn Blasters</a>: safe, easy herbicide delivery system from the North American Invasive Species Management Association. Don't start cutting without them!</li><li><a href="https://nc-ipc.weebly.com/nc-invasive-plants.html">NC Invasive Plants list</a>: recently updated by NC-IPC, the NC Invasives Plants Council.</li><li><a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG259">Overview of different herbicides</a>: glyposphate, triclopyr and others - which should you use?</li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://triangleland.org">Triangle Land Conservancy</a>: the biggest land conservancy group in our area. </li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://ellerbecreek.org">Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association</a> (Durham): a wonderful group working hard to maintain contiguous natural areas along Ellerbe Creek.</li></ul> |