Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville has declared war on weeds.
With support from the Aslan Foundation, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry, and Grayson Subaru, Ijams’ new Weed Warriors program focuses on eradicating invasive, nonnative species and restoring East Tennessee’s native landscape.
“Our native species are what make this region so special,” she said. “If we don’t protect them, we could lose them — and the wildlife that relies on them for habitat and food — forever.”
During the first year of the program, funding from the three partners is helping with start-up costs, from developing an education program and training volunteer ‘Weed Warriors’ to building a bank of tools and gear to conduct the work. Over the course of their training, volunteers will learn about invasive plant identification, treatment and removal, how to use tools properly and methods to work safely in an outdoor setting. The initial cadre of Weed Warriors will lead their own volunteer groups to cover even more ground on the property.
The second year of the project will move beyond Ijams’ borders and into the community. Weed Warriors will teach individuals, neighborhood groups and businesses to identify invasives, promote the benefits of native plantings and encourage them to choose natives when landscaping their homes and offices.
The Weed Warriors project started with a mass eradication of invasive species on three acres of property that is the future home of the Grayson Subaru Preserve. Using the bulk of the first year’s funding, Ijams hired Invasive Plant Control, a Nashville-based company that specializes in treating large areas in a short amount of time. A team of six IPC staff cleared and treated three acres in only three days.
Parker said this approach, while expensive - at $5,000 per acre - has the potential to become a best practice in how nature centers, parks and other protected natural areas are managed. It would take many months to accomplish the same result with staff and volunteers.
“This initial investment in expert eradication followed with maintenance by trained volunteers may be the best way to effect meaningful, long-term landscape change,” Parker said. “We’re studying how this approach affects the restoration of native landscapes, how it impacts the diversity of flora and fauna, and how human perception of the landscape changes.”
Aslan Foundation’s Executive Director, Andrea Bailey, agreed.
“The Aslan Foundation is committed to protecting Knoxville's natural resources,” Bailey said. “What we learn during this partnership with Ijams has the potential to be a model for one of the area’s most valued treasures, Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness.”
For more information, visit Ijams.org or call 865-577-4717.