When: March 23, 2024 @ 10:00 am
This event has been CANCELLED due to weather concerns. Please join us for similar (but more educational) events on March 28th and April 2nd!
Pull Garlic Mustard and save our native wildflowers!
Garlic Mustard is a nonnative, invasive plant that thrives in shade and rich soils. By densely colonizing our forest floors, it pushes out our diverse native wildflowers and confuses native insects, including pollinators. Garlic Mustard spreads aggressively by seed, but is easy to pull by hand, so we will be removing as much as we can before it goes to seed and spreads farther. This is not only a chance to restore native habitat for our wonderful native plants and animals to flourish in, but is also an opportunity to drive along a beautiful Forest Service road that is typically gated and closed to the public.
During this event, volunteers will be assigned a section of Forest Service road to sweep for Garlic Mustard. The road is packed gravel and should be traversable by most passenger cars. Tools and snacks will be provided, but bring your own work gloves if you have them. The work involves walking along the road carrying a trash bag while periodically bending down or kneeling to pull up plants. No experience is necessary; Garlic Mustard is easy to ID even if you are a beginner botanist, and all volunteers will be given a brief ID lesson. Please note that this specific location as been treated with herbicides in the past, and we do not recommend foraging here. Volunteers who participate in this event will receive $10 off our “Invasive to Table” Garlic Mustard Cooking Class on April 3rd!
This event is scheduled from 10:00am-4:00pm on Saturday, March 23th. Volunteers are welcome to stay for the whole day, or attend for just a few hours. We will meet at Juts Creek (approximate coordinates 35.268757, -83.719687) off Tallulah Rd (Rt 129) in Graham County near the intersection of Rt 129 and Rt 74 in Topton. View the map below for exact location. There will be small signs indicating where the event is located.
This event is free and open to the public, and is weather-dependent. Volunteers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Email Skye with any questions.
