Field Day: Learn to Identify and Remove Japanese Knotweed
Pelot Wildlife Sanctuary Trailhead, 14076 Drapers Mill Rd, Greensboro, MD, 21639 Map
Volunteers Needed Public Welcome Invasive Species Removal Free Public Parking Lots of Physical Activity
Field day! Activity partners: Caroline County Maryland Bird Club (a chapter of Maryland Ornithological Society and Sanctuary manager), Maryland Native Plant Society
Day-of contact information: Chapter President Concetta Gibson, 410-216-4621
Wild Ones Delmarva has identified a stand of Japanese knotweed growing along the road at Pelot Wildlife Sanctuary - and it is starting to seed and creep into the sanctuary. We will be assisting the Bird Club and MNPS in preventing the knotweed from reseeding into the preserve, as well as cleaning up any roadside trash.
You'll learn:
- How to identify Japanese knotweed
- Why it negatively impacts our landscape
- How it spreads
- Removing it without accidentally spreading the seed
Other activities while we are there: Spend a few minutes birdwatching with Bird Club members, see the Gravelly Branch creek of the Choptank River, and see some fall native species such as blooming wild asters and a gorgeous stand of golden-leafed spicebush shrubs.
Instructions: Please meet us at the address listed here and park along the roadside area. We will be working roadside and not leaving the trailhead entrance area, so no major hiking required. This is not a busy road but cars do drive by.
What you can bring, if you can: (we will provide trash bags and limited additional supplies)
- Dress for the weather and walking through some sparse vegetation
- Stable shoes or boots/leg protection
- Garden gloves
- Loppers or hand clippers
- Trash grabbers
- Water
About Pelot Wildlife Sanctuary:
In 1972, the Maryland Ornithological Society purchased this approximately 60-acre property using a bequest from Mrs. Myrtle Pelot of Ridgely, Maryland. Originally, the land was part of an old mill property with Draper Mill Road forming the dam, which impounded Gravelly Branch. The dam washed out in 1937, and the rich pond sediments now support a thriving forest. It is located in the Red Bridges area of the Choptank River, an area that local birders have enjoyed for years. This Sanctuary is an oasis for flowers, birds, and other fauna in the midst of a predominantly agricultural area.