Invasive Plant Pull on Saturday, May 4th: 32 Bags FULL!

About 30 Raymondale residents, boy scouts, girl scouts, FCHS students and Broyhill Park neighbors turned out on a bright sunny day on Saturday, May 4th to do battle with the weeds at the mini-park at Brad St. and Dye Dr. 

 Thank you to all who volunteered! 

This was the Raymondale Civic Association's second annual "Clean Up the Park" day, and together the volunteers yanked enough English Ivy, multiflora rose, Japanese Honeysuckle and Wineberry to fill 32 super-size park authority trash bags. 

 

Each  year, RCA sponsors this event to reclaim one section of the Holmes Run Stream Valley in the heart of Raymondale from the invasive plant species that threaten to overtake it. Our efforts are part of a larger volunteer initiative facilitated by the FAirfax County Park Authority to create oases of native habitat where local wildlife can thrive. 

You might be asking yourself: What's so "wrong" with English Ivy and the other non-native plants? The problem is that they tend to proliferate madly but are not needed or eaten by local wildlife. As a result, they block sunlight from reaching other plants that ARE needed or eaten by native wildlife. What's more, the vines make their way up even the tallest trees,  gradually choking the trees to death and making them more susceptible to falling over in a major storm. 

In these tight fiscal times, especially, the FCPA relies on volunteer efforts such as Raymondale's Clean Up the Park Day to help manage the invasive plant problem. Raymondale's effort is only two years old, but already we're making a difference in several ways:

- By targeting the same location at Brad & Dye over and over, an "island" of native habitat will be established within a few years.  the trees will be better off, and new plants will take hold. Once an invasive-free zone has been established, Raymondale can approach FCPA to reinforce the zone by planting more native species. Good for plants, good for wildlife, good for homeowners!

- By "adopting" the parkland along Holmes Run at Dye & Brad, Raymondale is helping FCPA be strategic and targeted in its approach to invasive plant management. The FCPA could not possibly manage every spot where invasives have proliferated without such volunteer help.

- Volunteer initiatives (such as Raymondale's) help the FCPA qualify for more grant funding for its invasive removal program. Last year, our little cleanup was part of a larger grassroots initiative which ultimately led to a $10,000 REI grant for the FCPA's invasive plant removal program. (This wonderful report was submitted by RCA Co-President, Whitney Redding.)