March 24, 2025
– ALPA's Volunteer Stewardship program is off to a great start! On March 22nd, 39 volunteers turned out to pick up >200 lbs of trash, adjust protective oak tree wrappings, and kick-off a Plant Inventory project. They also got to know the Preserve better, and had a fun time. Thanks to all who braved the cold and wind!
– Volunteer trash pickers focused on the Preserve perimeters and roadways where the most litter and trash collects. When rain falls in these areas, trash washes down toward Asylum Lake and its headwaters stream at the bottom of Drake Rd hill. Removing trash from these areas supports ALPA's managment plan priority of Water Quality.
– Volunteers also began to selectively re-wire-wrap oak trees along the lake's shoreline, to ensure the oaks have plenty of room to grow. This supports ALPA's management plan priority of supporting a Keystone Species Balance in the Preserve, protecting stands of oak trees which support many important types of life at the Preserve.
– A smaller group of volunteer stewards also began a Citizen Science project to identify plant and tree species in specified squares within the Preserve. By recording their relative abundance each month throughout the year, volunteers will support ongoing native species restoration and rehabilitation efforts in the Preserve. This will help to inform the Council on how to improve native plant restoration through seeding this fall.