Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park - Clear out ligustrum!

Saturday, March 5th, 2016 from 7:00am to 4:00pm

About

Ever used a weed wrench? It's a cool tool! It gives you the power to rip invasive trees up by their roots. And in using it you will work out every knot that a desk job can put in your muscles.
In teams of 4 to 6 people, we will rip up every ligustrum in a 1-acre grove. When we are done, the ligustrums will be a pile of wood chips, thanks to park workers running a chipper. If you would like to lead a team, register as a team leader for the shift that begins at 8 a.m.
We will supply these tools, but if you have your own, please mark them with your name and phone number and bring them:
  • weed wrenches
  • lopping shears
  • handsaws
  • hoes
  • garden rakes
  • cotton work gloves (If you bring your own, leather gloves would be better.)
Bring a reflllable bottle of water (we will have jugs to refill them from), wear long pants and sturdy shoes, and protect yourself from the sun—hat, sunglasses, sunscreen. We will stay away from poison ivy, but cover up if you're sensitive to it.
For minors to volunteer, a parent or legal guardian must sign a waiver of liability. Children under 13 are welcome if a responsible adult participates with and supervises them. For children 10 and younger, the responsible adult must be a parent or legal guardian.
Kids can prevent new ligustrums from growing by picking up fallen clusters of ligustrum berries or raking ligustrum seedlings into the soil. Kids can also help us make seedballs, which we'll use to revegetate all those places where ligustrum used to be. To make seedballs, sign yourself and your child up for the Seedball Crew. The Seedball Crew will start at the picnic shelter at 10 a.m.
Positions
0 Remaining
Registration
Registration Closed
Registration Closes
Any time before each shift ends or when space runs out.
Age Limit
All Ages
Requirement Details
If you are absolutely positive that you are insensitive to poison ivy and don't mind getting into it, please let us know when you sign in. I've found some ligustrum to remove where I had thought we could avoid the poison ivy, but in clearing a path to it last weekend I didn't manage to stay clear. We could use your help in that spot and any others where we might encounter it. (Change clothes before you cuddle up to the rest of us!) If you are extremely sensitive to poison ivy, I recommend that you cover up well and apply Poison Oak 'n' Ivy Armor (available over the counter) to any exposed skin as well as adjacent areas—for example, if you're wearing a long-sleeved shirt, cover your wrists and lower forearms as well as your hands. Cover below the top of the opening of your shirt, too. I am very sensitive to poison ivy. In the many times I have been back in this area, I have had problems only that one time, when I knowingly got close to it. So don't worry—but a little protection is better than 2 weeks of even a little bit of itching!
Perks
We will have a KIND bar and a T-shirt for every preregistered volunteer, as well as fruit and snacks to replace that energy you burn off. We will also have discount cards from Chipotle Grill! And don't miss the all-volunteer party at Rosewood Park—live music, sandwiches, cake, beverages, and other great treats!
Parking Details
Our Team Leaders and Ripping Crew will be working directly across the park road from the parking lot farthest from North Lamar. That's the best place to park. If you join the Seedball Crew, you will be working at the picnic shelter itself, so park as close to the shelter as you can get.
GivePulse
141 Positions Filled | 141 Impacts | 613 Hours

Shifts (6)

1 - 6 of 6 Shifts
ShiftStart TimeEnd TimeDescriptionRegistrants Needed
 
Project Leader7:00am (CT)4:00pm (CT)Planning the project, recruiting volunteers, coordinating efforts, recognizing success.1/1Over
Informally Signed Up8:00am (CT)12:00pm (CT)Folks who signed up on time in a meetup, but not here. Y'all will generally be on the Ripping Crew, unless you'd rather do something else. We will need you to complete an online liability waiver when you arrive.12/14Over
Team Leaders8:00am (CT)12:00pm (CT)For people leading teams of 4 to 6 volunteers, we will start at 8 a.m. with an orientation to the day's activities: Our work area, how to recognize ligustrums, how to use tools, safety concerns, volunteer flows, hydration station, snacks, and answers to any of your questions.13/13Over
Ripping Crew9:00am (CT)12:00pm (CT)As you arrive, we will assign you to a team leader and give you an orientation to our work area, the tools, and safety concerns.50/50Over
The Cavalry9:00am (CT)12:00pm (CT) Much as we appreciate your willingness to participate, we can't guarantee most of the perks at this point. Still, come on out and have a great time making our park better. We will find something you can do—perhaps not something listed here, but something useful. (Actually, we can always use...8/50Over
Seedball Crew10:00am (CT)12:00pm (CT) A parent-and-child activity for preschoolers and older. Turn dirt and seeds of native plants into seedballs we can scatter wherever we need to provide better food and habitat for native bugs, birds, and other critters. Seedballs make it easy for us to scatter seeds widely, protect the seeds from being...57/57Over

Wall

Taylor Frank wrote on March 4th, 2016

My little Threenager and I are looking forward to a fun morning of giving back to our community!!