Volunteers have been working to remove buckthorn in portions of the park over the past few years. The process was accelerated when goats were brought in to defoliate the undergrowth in September 2023. You can see the results below.

The goats were brought back in June 2024, but the results were less spectacular. The city will purchase $1,000 of native grass seed to help revegetate a portion of the park, which will hopefully help suppress the growth and establishment of future buckthorn seedlings. (The ideal seeding time is November.) We also have 4,000+ seedlings (grasses & forbs) grown by volunteers to help restore biodiversity. We are hoping to get some of them planted at the volunteer event on Sept. 28. But BEFORE the grass can be seeded and the flowers can be planted, we need to remove the existing buckthorn seedlings and saplings. If you are available to help, please contact us.

Some of the invasive species found in Chatham include:

• common buckthorn
• glossy buckthorn
• Amur maple
• non-native honeysuckle
• purple loosestrife
• narrow-leaf cattails
• garlic mustard
• dame's rocket
• burdock