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| Melissa and Marcia break down the buckthorn |
I recently had the opportunity to experience working with another
nature center in the Milwaukee area. On
April 25th, twenty members of my team from Johnson Controls participated
in a community service event at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (www.schlitzauduboncenter.com).
Schlitz Audubon’s mission is similar to the
Urban Ecology Center in that they provide environmental education to youth and
adults in the community and actively work to restore natural areas surrounded
by urban environments.
Reminiscent of my experiences at the Urban Ecology Center, our
group of volunteers was guided through the center by the resident land steward,
Matt Smith. He gave a brief eduction on the native
ecosystems present as well as current land management projects. Matt discussed the challenges they are facing
and what is being done to meet those challenges.
Emerald ash borer (EAB) is the larges current threat. EAB is an exotic beetle whose larvae feed on the vascular tissue of the ash tree, destroying the tree's ability to move water and nutrients. Most of the current forest at the Schlitz Audubon center is made up of ash trees, and EAB is active only 20 miles
north of the center. Unfortunately, it
is only a matter of time before the ash population at Schlitz Audubon becomes the
next target. Young aspen
trees are being planted around stands of ash trees so that the area will not be
empty of tree canopy when ash trees die out.
Aspen trees reproduce relatively quickly through their root system, and
one tree can become an entire population of ramets genetically identical to the
parent.
The nature preserve is host to ephemeral ponds. True to their name, they are fleeting – here
during the rainy season in the spring and gone by mid-summer. The ponds are prime breeding locations for
frogs and salamanders. There are many
ash trees around these ponds, so shade-tolerant basswood and musclewood are
being planted. These trees will wait in
the shade and continue to protect the ponds from solar radiation when the ash
trees die out. The forest will have been
replaced and be on its way to maturity.
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| Buckthorn understory |
Our team’s job that day was to remove buckthorn, an invasive
shrub species. Common buckthorn was
introduced from Eurasia as an ornamental shrub.
It competes aggressively for sunlight with local flora because it leafs out
early and keeps its leaves late in the fall.
It has become a problem in the understory layer of maple forests.
Buckthorn is widely dispersed by birds that
eat its fruit and eliminate the seeds in their waste. When cut down, the shoots re-grow quickly, so
some kind of chemical treatment is usually applied after the shoots and shrubs
are mechanically removed. Once the
buckthorn is removed, the land will be re-planted with native ironwood, musclewood,
basswood and northern white cedar.
Beyond land management activities,
the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center bears many similarities to the UEC. They house native animals as educational
resources, host outdoor adventure activities, and serve as a community center
for those passionate about environmental sustainability. Their activities diverge in that they also
manage a fully accredited nature-based pre-school program, and their building
has achieved LEED Gold certification.
Schlitz Audubon has focused resources on one location, whereas the
UEC has
branched out into centers at three different locations throughout the
city. Both groups are able to reach different parts of the community
and share the same message: We are all responsible for this earth, and
we must know our ecosystems in order to take care of them.
