Dedicated to Community Environmental Education and Stewardship

Our small group of dedicated site stewards has been working hard over the past few years--taking on the challenge of caring for neglected park land and trying to restore it to health (in coordination with the city). 

This is slow work. In these early stages, most of the focus has been on heavy-duty invasive species removal: from cutting and hauling buckthorn of all ages and sizes to hand-pulling garlic mustard and motherwort. In addition, we've also been restoring native vegetation in the cleared sites to inhibit the growth of invasives and support wildlife such as native bees. Sampson Park is a great example, with a sizable pollinator garden. It'll be a few years before the native vegetation is well-established in Chatham and Cummings Parks. 

We're always looking for volunteers! If you're willing to learn about even just one type of weed and spend a couple hours/year working in the parks, you could make a huge difference to our success.

You can read about our 2025 efforts in our Year-End Review.

You can also read a Q&A regarding the city's beekeeping policy.