Stop the Invaders

During my summer internship last year, my mentor Tania introduced me to the complicated world of invasive species.

“Oh look, it’s Clematis vitalba!” she would rattle off in a cheery tone during strolls around Oregon State University’s campus. Finding invasive species was like a scavenger hunt to her and she constantly amazed me with her encyclopedic knowledge of invasive plants.

Tania raised my awareness of the plants growing all around me. Suddenly, a simple cluster of English ivy in my dad’s backyard warranted great displays of pointing in alarm and shouting, “Hedera helix!” before savagely attacking the invader with a shovel.

Ever since my internship, I feel a continued sense of allegiance to the battle against invasive species. For example – during a walk through Eugene’s Buford Park with my travel writing class, clusters of invasive blackberries sparked my old fervor.

The forested hillsides and open fields of Buford Park, combined with the frequent visitation of hikers, make the land a perfect candidate for the establishment of invasive species. Nonnative plant seeds are easily spread on people’s shoes or gear when they are neglectful about cleaning up after a hike.

“We deal with false brome here, something that the state has recognized as a pretty scary invasive species,” said Jessica Allison, a volunteer coordinator for Friends of Buford Park.

Jessica explained that the Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah started in 1989, when visitors noticed a herd of cows grazing all over the fields of the park. This observation disturbed them, taking into account that cows are detrimental to native habitats.

Deciding to take action, the Friends of Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah formed a team, clearing out the cows and devoting themselves to restoring the natural habitat of the park. Now, The Friends concentrate their efforts on environment-restoring projects.

“We’re focusing on restoring oak savannah habitat,” Jessica explained. “Currently, the oak coverage is less than one percent of what it used to be.”

Invasive species contribute to some of this native upheaval. Oftentimes, when invasive species settle in, native plants are outcompeted and crowded out by their foreign adversaries. Plants like false brome, a nonnative quick-growing bunchgrass, easily overcrowd native grasses and leave little room for indigenous species to grow.

In order to get the area back to its original state, The Friends organize volunteer groups to help remove invasive species and properly maintain hiking trails. Jessica coordinates these events and she encourages people of all ages to participate in volunteer opportunities.

“We engage our community through volunteerism to create future stewards of the park,” Jessica said. “We want to show what it takes to take care of the land and how much fun that can be.”

In fact, the next volunteer opportunity is this Saturday, where volunteers will meet at the onsite native plant nursery. The nursery consists of indigenous plants grown from seeds collected in the Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah area. Volunteers nurture the seeds into growth and eventually, these plants are used to repopulate areas where invasive species are removed.

Jessica made the opportunity sound so interesting that I considered joining in on the invasive plant-bashing. Tania would be so proud.

Buford Park and Mt. Pisgah are southeast of the Eugene/Springfield area, off of I-5 by Exit 189 and Seavey Loop Drive. More information can be found at their website.