Neighbors,

It is hard to believe that Fall is here and it’s time for our September Clean Up!

• Honeysuckle needs to be pulled out or cut;
• Tree of Heaven needs to be pulled out or cut;
• Litter needs to be picked up, especially in the Indianola/Yaronia Overbrook stream bed area;
• The Rain Garden needs its monthly weeding.

Meet for supplies and sign-ins at Overbrook and High; Canyon and Overbrook; Yaronia and Overbrook; Indianola and Overbrook.  We look forward to seeing you.

Join us to clean up litter, cut honeysuckle, and weed/trim the Rain Garden. Supplies will be located at Overbrook & High; Overbrook & Canyon; Overbrook & Yaronia; Overbrook & Indianola. Come and say hello to Susan Michael Barrett who will be joining us for this clean up!

We had another successful clean-up this past Saturday. 23 volunteers removed over 56 bags of garlic mustard from the ravine, as well as several bags of trash. If we stay focused in local areas, the impact can be quite impressive!

There were several questions about whether it was still worth pulling garlic mustard after it has gone to seed, to which there is one simple answer: absolutely! The garlic mustard still has the seed on the plant (they are currently immature but will start maturing soon), so removing the plant and putting it into bags (to prevent seed dispersal) still can make quite an impact in preventing future infestations of this invader.

I am also happy to report that our neighbor, Dr. Wiline Pangle, will be bringing her “Introduction to Ecology” class (EEOB 503 for those interested) to our ravine to look at the effects of invasive plants on native areas, as well as to identify natives. The students will be walking through the ravine, and spending a little time pulling garlic mustard. With 76 students (in smaller groups), every bit of time will help! Also a quick reminder that the recent (and upcoming) rains make it easier to pull out the root.

Thank you for all you do to help our ravine!
–Derek

What a wonderful morning to work in the ravine! Nice and cool, with freshly softened ground that made pulling out garlic mustard quite easy.

We had an amazing turn-out as well (35 volunteers!), from our usual crew of neighbors and school partners, as well as volunteers through the Earth Day 2010 (http://update2010.org) and our site sponsor, Malcolm Pirnie. As a reminder, there is an Earth Day celebration in Franklin Park on Thursday, April 22, 3-10pm.

We gathered 7 (30 gal) bags of trash, planted many native plants and removed weeds in the raingarden, planted 95 native trees in the ravine, and pulled out 70 (!) bags of garlic mustard.

There is still much more garlic mustard to be removed, so it you feel inspired on a walk, please take some time to remove some of this aggressive plant. Our mentor, Greg Schneider, pointed out that with only flowers on the plant at this point, if the stem is broken between the flower and the roots, the plants will not go to seed and can just be composted in the ravine or the side of the road.

Thanks for all you do! We are all very blessed to live in such a beautiful area.

–Derek

Just a reminder that our first “Second Saturday” cleanup will be this weekend Saturday 4/17, to coincide with the City’s Earth Day volunteer initiative. We’ll be picking up litter,  pulling garlic mustard, and planting trees from 9-11.

Sign in and supplies will be at Overbrook & High; Overbrook & Canyon; Overbrook & Yaronia; Overbrook & Indianola.

This is a great opportunity to get out and meet your neighbors while improving the community.  We look forward to seeing you.  Bring a friend.

ADENA BROOK COMMUNITY EARTH DAY CLEAN UP – SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2009, 9 – 11 AM
This month we will meet on the THIRD Saturday, not the second. April is one of our biggest clean ups of the year and some of the most important work we will do this season. Our focus: pull garlic mustard, cut honeysuckle, and plant trees. We need every hand, even if you only have a half hour to give. If you want to plant trees, bring a shovel. Supplies will be located at Overbrook and High, Overbrook and Indianola, Overbrook and Cooke Road, Overbrook and Yaronia. Volunteers from Malcolm Pirnie will join us.

Our clean up is in collaboration with Green Columbus’ annual event called “Picture This.” This is the third annual event organized by Green Columbus. According to Tad Dritz, Director of Green Columbus, the name was selected “to encourage central Ohioans to picture how much can be accomplished in one day of volunteer projects across the Columbus metro area.” The planned event is actually a two day affair with April 18 for volunteer worksites and April 19 for a celebration at Goodale Park, in the Short North. Read more about Green Columbus here: http://greencbus.org/site/

FREE NATIVE TREES
Another reason to come to the Earth Day clean up: we have a selection of native trees to give to Adena Brook neighbors and volunteers on April 18. In response to the damage of the two big wind storms–we lost many trees. Help us sustain our woodland neighborhood by planting a native tree! Trees will be located at High and Overbrook.

Susan,

At 4:04 this afternoon I received a call from the City’s real estate office to inform us that a film crew is planning to be working in Overbrook Ravine starting Saturday morning – tomorrow.  I have no information beyond this.  CRPD was not contacted until just now.  I was told they have a contract with the City through the Mayor’s Office and they’ve been going to different locations for their film.  So.  If you notice some strange activity, this might explain it…Since tomorrow is your last Clean Up for the year, you’ll probably see the crew out there. 

I am hoping all goes well.

Maureen
Columbus Recreation and Parks 
1111 E. Broad St. 
Columbus, OH  43205