GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Community members, environmental activists and volunteers gathered with Green Bay officials on Saturday morning for Make a Difference Day at John Muir Park.
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The event, coordinated with the city and Green Bay Conservation Corps, invited attendees to take up hands-on tasks to help remove and clear the invasive species buckthorn.
“It’s an invasive shrub that shades out all of the native plant species,” Conservation Corps Coordinator Maria Otto said. “Step one is to remove that, open it up and by doing so, we open up the woodland to make a trail to get the community out and enjoying the nature.”
The goal? To make the park more usable for the community to enjoy. In addition to the invasive species removal, attendees got to watch a live demonstration of turning unwanted plants into a form of charcoal called biochar.
The biochar was made by burning cut-out debris, thus turning it into a charcoal-esque soil amendment that improves the soil as it increases water and nutrient retention, among other benefits.
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Green Bay’s Conservation Corps was launched in 2022, becoming the state’s first municipal conservation corps, aiming to help restore the environment.
Make a Difference Day is a national initiative encouraging and inviting community service, and this year was the fourth annual celebration. It’s celebrated on the fourth Saturday in October.
