Volunteer With Us In Maplewood Park!

Happy New Year from all of us at the Open Space Council!  I wanted to share an update about our Operation Wild Lands Program.  Haven’t heard of this program, no problem!  Visit www.openspacestl.org/owls today to learn more.

As you may remember from our newsletter and Facebook posts, 2015 was an exciting time for our Operation Wild Lands (OWLS) program as we moved more of our efforts in St. Louis City and County, and hundreds of volunteers joined us to improve local open spaces, greenways, and riparian corridors.  OSC’s Field Restoration Specialist, Jay Doty, and myself worked with volunteers of all ages, from middle school & college students to corporate teams and community residents to improve local habitat.

One of the most exciting projects for us was working in partnership with Great Rivers Greenway and Chipotle to remove invasive bush honeysuckle along Deer Creek in Maplewood’s Rocketship Park.  The volunteer work was so productive that we have decided to continue this effort in 2016.  Efforts to remove invasives will take place at several events throughout the Spring, and then we will go into the same area in the Fall and replant with natives to ensure that the forested corridors are converted to healthier habitat for birds, fish, and insects that rely on this area for their habitat.

Come join us at our first OWLs event and volunteer to improve this local openspace.  If you’re 15 years or older, visit this webpage to sign up to volunteer today!

Hope to see you at Rocketship Park soon!

Kat Dockery, Executive Director

About this Open Space: Deer Creek Park, also known as Rocketship Park, is located at 3200 Laclede Station Road in Maplewood and is a community gem.  The park has many amenities, including shelters for picnics, an awesome space themed playground, a baseball field and volleyball court, and a greenway that will be expanded in the coming years!