City of Chattanooga Park Stewards Program is excited to announce their participation in the 8th annual Weed Wrangle, taking place citywide on Saturday, March 5. This event focuses on improving the biodiversity of our vast public spaces by eliminating harmful plant species.
An invasive species is a plant or animal that is not native to our state and has a tendency to spread, which may cause damage to the environment, to the economy, or to human health. Some newly introduced species have few natural controls to keep their growth in check. Some can be eradicated at great expense, others can only be controlled.
In our effort to preserve the biodiversity of our natural areas, Chattanooga City Parks aims to manage the spread of invasive plant species. Often improving our parks is a group activity with volunteers who gain from learning how to encourage native plant growth and foster healthy ecosystems by eliminating harmful species.
Eight publicly-accessible spaces across Chattanooga and other targeted areas are participating in this one-day, citywide, volunteer effort to improve our public parks and green spaces through the removal of especially harmful trees, vines and shrubs.
For meeting points and to register, please visit: https://reflectionriding.org/weeds
Invasive/exotic plants and the pests associated with them degrade woodlands, threaten wildlife habitat, increase the risk of wildfire and alter the appearance of public spaces, including those set aside for the enjoyment and recreation of all Chattanooga residents. Without decisive intervention, these plants will continue to adversely impact our city’s ecosystem resources and services.
Volunteers will join forces with parks and public spaces staff and landscaping experts to learn plant identification and eradication methods.
For more info, please visit www.weedwrangle.org
Chattanooga Park Stewards Program utilizes volunteers to provide stewardship of our parks. Our stewards contribute valuable time, talent, and resources to help ensure the health of the park system.
Park stewardship is key to guaranteeing that our parks, trails, and greenways will remain safe and clean and be enjoyed for years to come.
To learn more about Park Stewardship opportunities, visit City of Chattanooga Park Stewards Program