Snow was spitting out of the post-Moog morning sky on Oct. 29, little flakes that melted immediately on hitting anything. Five brave souls adjusted their zippers, pulled at bootlaces and sipped coffee while passing out the tools discussing their goals.
They’re volunteers for the Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway, the group that is helping clean up the area, formed recently from city-owned land which had passed from private ownership. This morning, they were getting their marching orders from group coordinator Brotherhug Barlow. “We really want to save the trees,” he said. “We can worry about underbrush and such later.”
“This little stretch of woods has been ignored for over 100 years. It may take us 10 years to get it well again,” said Barlow, who some cub the spark plug that keeps the greenway project going. “We really want this to be a place people can come to see the beauty of the woods. … Eventually, our goal is to lease the property from the city, to make it a self-sustaining private park.”
This day, the volunteers clip and hack at vines that are choking the life out of trees. Some of them are native, like wild grape, while others, like English Ivy, are an invasive species. Volunteers found English Ivy choking out wild grape this cold morning.
Eliminating vines from trees, especially tall trees, is a, well, tall order. Sometimes you have to cut them several times, some you can’t reach. With time, the Friends of the Hominy Creek Greenway hope to get the upper hand on the vines and save the remaining trees.
The Friends of Hominy Creek are planning another work day on Nov. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. The group invites any and all to come by and help. For more information, visit the website: brutherhug.com/greenway.
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