Sipsey Wilderness Workday April 18

Join Wild South for one more day of privet-pulling on Thompson Creek!

Saturday, April 18

8:30 a.m.

Wild South office in Wren, Alabama

Sign up at janice@wildsouth.org or 256-974-6166

Wild South’s 2009-10 survey of the non-native invasive plant populations in the Sipsey Wilderness revealed that Chinese privet is the #1 threat to native ecosystems and that Thompson Creek holds the most vigorous invasion of the plant.  Our privet eradication project began in 2011 and is carried out late fall-early spring.  This will be our final privet day until next fall.

On the 18th, we will resume work where we stopped in March.  This is an especially thick patch of privet on the west side of Thompson Creek.  Our goal is to get this patch cleared out on the 18th.

After meeting up at the Wild South office at 8:30 and carpooling to the Thompson Creek trailhead, our group will hike into the Sipsey Wilderness on the Thompson Creek trail (#206) for about 1.5 miles then cross the creek to begin work.  We will carry all our hand tools.  The work is strenuous, physically demanding and requires bending, kneeling and squatting.

Tools are provided, but volunteers may bring loppers, hand pruners, hard hat, pruning saws, a Weed Wrench if you have one.

Bring a backpack with lunch, water, snacks, work gloves, tick protection, an Epi-pen if you need one and any personal items.

Be prepared for hiking on uneven, rough terrain, and crossing Thompson Creek.  Long pants, closed-toe boots or shoes are recommended.  No dogs or other pets, please!

Wild South’s Helping Hands Volunteer Program is funded by our individual donors, a grant from The National Forest Foundation and a grant from the General Fund of the Walker Area Community Foundation.