Hello Greenbelt Fans,

After a long, hot, dry summer, we are excited to get back to work on our adopted Homedale Trail for a fall work day. As always, there is plenty of work to do. It seems that the plant response to the life-threatening heat and drought this summer is resulting in wildly prolific blooming and seeding – some of it is very welcome on the greenbelt, like the mass of native golden-eye blooming in our restoration research area of the trail. But some of it is not so welcome, like the choking community of ragweed in the drainage easement at the entry area of the trail, and in the creek bed upstream from the rock flats. We need some hardy, non-allergic volunteers to pull up these weeds and sack them for removal. And there are other weeds and invasives  to remove along the trail: Johnson grass, Wisteria, Chinaberrry, Nandina, and the ever-pervasive Ligustrum.

We also need to do some tidying up of large fallen branches on the switchback trail and organize them into windrows, plus check for regrowth of the ligustrum population that was removed about in that area four years ago. In that same area, we plan to continue constructing stone steppers on the steep path, to improve the safety of the trail.  There are a few piles of caliche and rock near the entry trail that we need to put to good use. And some dead or low growth branch pruning to do. Plus the regular trash clean-up along the trail and near the rock flats and Campbell’s Hole. Plenty of beer cans and paper wrappers to collect and haul out.

Please plan to wear long sleeves and pants and closed-toe shoes and bring your gloves if you have some and a water bottle. We will provide all of the tasks and team leaders and ivy block and tools and energy food and water. Remember, it’s Halloween Day, so plan on some silly fun, and costume if you feel inspired.

RSVP to assure we have enough tacos and tools.

Date: Saturday, October 31
Time: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Place: Homedale Trail Entry, 2010 Homedale Drive, directly behind Barton Hills Elementary School

Glee Ingram
Greenbelt Guardian Coordinator
(512) 443-7522
gleeful@earthlink.net