.jpg)
“You can actually see the creek!” “Hey! There’s a redbud under all the honeysuckle!” Such comments echoed throughout a recent day as more and more invasive plants were removed from the banks of Sarahs Run, a tributary of Woods Creek.
Rockbridge Area Master Gardeners and members of Friends of Woods Creek, a Rockbridge Conservation initiative, discovered a few native trees and shrubs as they hacked away the English ivy, privet, autumn olive, and lots of amur honeysuckle. These and 25 other invasive plants have taken over much of the two miles along the Woods Creek Trail.
The removal project is the beginning of a larger plan to restore all the 2–mile trail and plant native trees and shrubs to improve the water quality of the creek, according to Sandra Stuart, a member of the fledgling Friends group.
In the early 2000s, the city established the trail. A plaque posted at its beginning off Ross Road describes the restoration project as “a long-term action plan for protecting the character and quality of this highly valued natural and recreational resource.”
That ambitious effort, however, did not come with a maintenance plan for controlling the invasive plants that have taken over the creek banks during the past 20 years, said Stuart.
“This is a lesson learned,” she said, “and we are working simultaneously on a maintenance plan with Lexington Public Works.”
A healthy plant community contains a variety of herbs, shrubs, and trees, Stuart continued. Since invasive plant species spread quickly, they create a monoculture and prevent native plant growth. This deprives birds and wildlife of important sources of food. Unhealthy plant communities, she said, also increase runoff and erosion and hyper-eutrophication, a natural process that results from accumulation of nutrients in bodies of water. These nutrients can grow into unsightly scum on the water surface and decrease its recreational value.
In addition to the work on public land, Friends of Woods Creek will be contacting private landowners along the creek about providing assistance to remove invasive plants on their property.
Anyone interested in learning more about this project can contact Rockbridge Conservation at rockbridgeconservation. org.
