Jeannine - Cool Creek Park
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Hi! I'm Jeanine!
This is my third spring working as a Park Steward at Cool Creek Park, mainly cutting and treating honeysuckle and multiflora rose and pulling garlic mustard, wearing my bright green HCPR VOLUNTEER shirt and carrying my HIP bucket so park visitors don’t think I’m cutting down the forest or picking flowers. I work whenever I have a couple of spare hours. If I am going to be out of sight, I make sure someone knows where I am for my own safety. I’d like to have a partner with whom to work. When the Future Farmers of America are in Indy for their annual convention the students come cut large amounts of honeysuckle in several shifts, and usually two or three park employees and I daub glyphosate right behind them since the kids aren’t allowed to handle chemicals. We also help them identify the invasives and make sure that’s what they are cutting. It’s a lot of fun working with a group of young people and helping educate them about the harm invasives do and also pointing out native plants as we work. I especially like it when members of the public stop and ask me about what I am doing. An invasive species work sign helps educate the public, too, as well as keeping people and pets off areasbeing treated. I make sure to tell anyone who stops that there is more to be done than the staff can manage, so more volunteers are always welcome; contact Steve Sneath in Admin at HCPR or Jacob Luken at HIP. I don’t have a lot of spare time to volunteer, and I’m not confident in my identification of other invasives unless someone points them out to me, but I think I’ve still been able to make a difference. It’s rewarding work and a good physical workout. Besides, it’s always therapeutic to spend time in the woods surrounded by nature. I also try to keep my calendar clear to work with HIP,participating as much as possible in their events. They are a fun group to work with and that’s one of the ways I keep learning about controlling invasive plants. I am a retired elementary teacher, a Hamilton County Master Gardener, past president of the Indiana Native Plant Society Central Chapter, and a Master Naturalist, but being a Park Steward has become a main focus for me. Resources for You to Get Involved
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