Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship for The Winooski News
WINOOSKI — Armed with gloves and trash bags, Winooski Recreation and Parks staff and volunteers descended onto Memorial Park — a 10-acre nature area near Elm Street — to clear trash and invasive species, like buckthorn and honeysuckle.
Over the course of two hours, the group hauled out trash and cut back non-native plants. As bags filled and the brush cleared, the trail was made clear and open, passable for hikers once again.
The effort that took place Oct. 10 was the first in a series of trail cleanup days organized by Winooski’s Recreation and Parks Department, which aims to ensure that the eight parks they manage are accessible to all residents.
“(The parks) provide a needed and valuable resource to the community,” said Lauren Chicote, a Winooski resident and avid hiker of Memorial Park. “We’re lucky in Winooski that we have these really valuable, accessible and nice trail natural areas”
The parks department partnered with the Winooski Valley Parks District, a non-profit coalition of eight Vermont communities that protects natural areas through conservation, education and maintenance, to make the cleanups happen.
The parks district has experience with trail maintenance and access to expensive equipment, like saws and weed uprooters.
Tim Larned — superintendent of Winooski Valley Parks District — oversees 18 parks and 24 miles of trail in Burlington, Winooski, Williston and five other Chittenden County towns.
One of the main tasks that the parks district helps with is removing invasive species, such as buckthorn and honeysuckle. These non-native plants often outcompete native vegetation, disrupting the habitats that local wildlife depend on and limiting the accessibility of the trail.
“Some of the areas are pretty overwhelmed with invasive (species),” Larned said. “It’s a pretty big project, a lot of times we’re helping people learn more about invasives.”
At the Memorial Park cleaning, staff and volunteers started off by gathering in a circle to introduce themselves and explain their goals.
The staff and volunteers quickly identified the most important task for the day: adjusting a downed bridge that covered a gully on the trail.
The wooden bridge had gradually shifted away from the trail and sunk into the mud, posing a challenge for hikers.
Seven staff members and volunteers walked down the path to the sunken bridge.
Robin Merritt, Winooski Recreation and Parks manager, looked around and made sure everyone was ready. She counted down from three, then the group lifted the bridge and put it back into place.
Once the bridge was reconnected, the group scattered along the trail to remove trash and non-native plants.
Although the October gathering had a good showing, Merritt said that recruiting volunteers remains a challenge.
The Recreation and Parks department has had success with posting on social media and hanging flyers, but getting the word out has been difficult, according to Merritt.
Despite the challenges in recruitment, Merritt said that the department has “been able to find various small-scale projects that make a big dent in making our trails usable (for everyone).”
Merritt hopes to continue to “harness the passion of the community” to clean up the parks.
Winooski Community Services Director Ray Coffey concurred.
“We have limited resources to deal with the maintenance and management of these parks,” he said. “Just more hands and bodies to get out here and help out (would be great).”