By Mary McLean
The Tuckahoe Park Habitat Improvement was nominated as one of two MLK volunteer projects in Arlington on Saturday, January 19. The Inaugural Committee sent a photographer to document our work. We improve our park by removing non-native plants thereby increasing the biomass. This means more insects have food from the plants. More cardinals, chickadees and song-birds have food to survive the winter. We all have more bird songs and bright red birds to enjoy.
We set up at the busiest corner of the park at the intersection of Lee and Sycamore. Our goal was to clear the area of as many invasive plants as possible. Sarah Archer and her intern Ema Leheny helped lead 18 volunteers. Volunteers included preschoolers, children, teenagers, their parents and individual citizens. All of the invasive privet hedge was either levered up with a weed wrench or pulled by hand. Several trees were saved from English Ivy that was choking them. Everyone helped create a huge pile a parks crew picked up the following week. We all enjoyed a chance to enjoy a beautiful, sunny and mild winter day.
Join me in celebrating the community spirit of volunteers. Each month they help the park we all enjoy.
You can help keep Tuckahoe Park beautiful too.
• Put trash and recycles in the containers.
• Join the Saturday volunteers removing invasive plants to restore the habitat. We meet at the school, third Saturday of the month.
• Arrange training in invasive control so you can work on you own.
Contact: Mary McLean marydmclean@verizon.net.
Tuckahoe Park is located at Lee Highway and Sycamore Street, Arlington, VA