Volunteers plant trees and remove invasive species from Gnaden Nature Center
Sustainable Wildlife Area Restoration Movement founders Rome Marinelli and Amy Mathews coordinated a spring cleanup event at the Gnadenhutten Nature Center on Saturday, May 20. A small group of volunteers planted 90 trees including red oak, white oak and dogwood and pulled enough invasive garlic mustard to fill a half-dozen 50-gallon trash bags.
The trees were donated to the nonprofit group by the Tuscarawas Soil and Water Conservation District.
The nature center, a seven-acre former Superfund site situated along the Tuscarawas River in Gnadenhutten, was delisted by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2001 and through the efforts of the Economic Development and Finance Alliance became the Southern Gateway Nature Park, which was dedicated in 2006 with the intention it would be used by Indian Valley educators as an outdoor classroom.
Despite the best efforts to plant native grasses, wildflowers and trees, the grasses dominated the meadow, and interest in the area waned as the diversity in plant life diminished and educators who utilized the center moved to other districts. Neglect and vandalism led to the park’s further decline.
In 2015 Marinelli and Mathews sought permission to replace grasses with wildflowers and native trees in an effort to provide a pollen- and nectar-rich natural habitat where pollinators could thrive and the area could once again be used for education as well as recreation.
“While native grasses are beneficial in an ecosystem, alone they don’t attract pollinators to an area,” Marinelli said.
Their effort to improve the site was successful. The pair along with volunteers continue to maintain the park.
“We have learned a lot about native species and what will do best in this habitat,” Mathews said. “We’ve made mistakes along the way, and while not everything we have planted here is necessarily native to Ohio, we’ve chosen plants that will not become invasive.”
Invasive species are still an issue, however. Plants like multiflora rose, garlic mustard and dame’s rocket, a biennial and another member of the mustard family, continue to stake their claim in the meadow area of the park.
Tim Lavey of Barberton led the garlic mustard pull. Lavey, a member of The Wilderness Center Botany Club, met Mathews and Marinelli when they attended a wildflower walk hosted by Lavey.
Caitlyn DeHoust, marketing assistant at New Towne Mall, and her husband Tim Liversage of Dover volunteered at the spring cleanup event as well. “I met Rome and Amy when they participated in the 'Love the Earth Fair,' an Earth Day event at New Towne Mall,” DeHoust said. “I wanted to return the favor by helping them out here at the nature center.”
In addition to labor, DeHoust and Liversage donated shovels, gloves and bottled water to SWARM for use at future events.
Liversage, who owns an independent technology support company, said he is interested in helping SWARM in other ways by improving their online presence to further their cause.
Caitlin Mathews, a community health educator in Carroll County, also was on hand to assist in the cleanup effort.
Volunteer Cara Randall of Mill Township first learned about SWARM from a WJER radio interview and follows the nonprofit’s Facebook page. An employee at the Tuscarawas County Public Library, she said Marinelli and Mathews will present "Pollinator Power Paper" on June 23 at 11 a.m., a program aimed at students in kindergarten through grade six. Participants can make a seed packet using upcycled paper for native pollinators.
The pair will present a second program at the library titled "Pollinator Challenge: Specialists vs. Generalists" on July 21 at 11 a.m. Participants can learn about pollinators and their habitats. Registration is ongoing.
Hope Johnson, owner at Tents of Grace, a café in downtown Gnadenhutten, provided complimentary ice cream to the group for their effort to make improvements to the village.
Marinelli and Mathews believe education and garnering the interest of young people is key to the success of the nature center and any other environmental endeavor SWARM takes on.
“In the past we have had students help us with cleanups at the nature center,” Marinelli said. “By involving young people, we hope they come to respect the place and do what they can to protect it. We all need to start acting and adopting a more harmonious relationship with nature.”