Back2Nature Honeysuckle Hack – Crestwood Park

As a part of our Operation Wild Lands program, The Open Space Council is partnering with the City of Crestwood’s Beautification Committees’ #Back2Nature Project to remove the invasive Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) shrub from Crestwood Park.

Why it’s important?
According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, Bush Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) is one of the most destructive invasive species in the St. Louis region. It negatively impacts native plant diversity, forest health, and local wildlife. Incredibly adapted to our region, this invasive species can quickly dominate St. Louis parks, trails, and neighborhoods, negatively impacting human health and recreation when left unchecked. The Open Space Council is proud to support Crestwood and its community by aiding in removing this invasive shrub.

**This volunteer opportunity will take place on Saturday, March 26th, 2022, from 9:00 am to noon. Preregistration is requested. Click here to sign up!

**Check-in will begin at 8:45 am. Further instructions and a reminder will be sent out the week of Saturday, March 26th.

**In the case of inclement weather, this event will be canceled and potentially rescheduled for a later date.

The removal method for this event will be to cut the plant using loppers and/or handsaws before treating it with herbicide. Long sleeves and pants are appropriate. Tools and supplies will be provided.

This effort is in conjunction with Missouri Botanical Garden’s regional Spring Honeysuckle Sweep for a Healthy Habitat effort.

MDC Back To Nature StL Grant

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) works with and for communities to sustain healthy fish, forests, and wildlife. One of the ways it does this is by offering funding for conservation-friendly projects in St. Louis area parks through a unique partnership and funding opportunity: The Back to Nature StL Grant. This grant program supports terrestrial and aquatic habitat improvement in urban area parks, encouraging partnerships for supporting community conservation efforts, native habitat restoration and long-term natural landscape management, and engaging the public through conservation education and volunteer opportunities.

The City of Crestwood was recently awarded a grant through the MDC Back To Nature StL program to conduct various habitat restoration projects at Crestwood Park, including invasive species removal, stream restoration, woodland enhancement, and prairie savanna wetland, and pollinator gardens.

We are looking forward to this series of events and encourage participants to share pictures on social media using the #Back2Nature and #MDCDiscoverNature!

Can’t help ut this time? Check out our event on April 30th at Crestwood Park linked here !

Check back for upcoming volunteer opportunities or follow us on Facebook.