Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Lydia Colon looks over her plants as she figures out which plants should go where during her prairie restoration project Saturday at Kuckuk Park. Colon and her volunteers planted 487 plants in a 750-square-foot area in the park near the Wolf River.
Leader Photo by Lee Pulaski Lydia Colon holds up a sample of crown vetch, the invasive plant that was overrunning the prairie areas in Kuckuk Park. Colon’s project includes replacing the crown vetch with native prairie plants.
A Shawano Girl Scout’s Gold Award project, once completed, will help bring native prairie plants and grasses back to Kuckuk Park.
Lydia Colon, a member of Girl Scout Troop 4363, recruited family and friends to brave the chilly and rainy weather Saturday to start planting 12 types of plants in a 750-square-foot segment of the park near the Wolf River.
Colon noted that a prairie restoration effort had been carried out in the park years earlier, but volunteers inadvertently introduced an invasive plant species known as crown vetch, and the native plants were overrun.
The crown vetch is able to grow in colder weather, Colon said, whereas native plants are more dormant in lower temperatures. She said that’s how the invasive plant was able to take over.
“What I’m hoping for is for the native plants to spread out and be able to take over where the invasive plants were and return it to its prior glory,” Colon said.
Matt Hendricks, Shawano’s park and recreation director, noted that the crown vetch infestation took hold in Kuckuk about five years ago. He said the invasive species is still present but to a much smaller degree, because of the city’s eradication efforts and now Colon’s project.
“There are still spots, so we still spot treat it, but it’s definitely 90 percent gone compared to where it was two or three years ago,” Hendricks said.
To avoid history repeating itself, Colon consulted with Bob Dumke and the Wolf River Wild Ones to make sure the plants she planned to put in Kuckuk were supposed to be there and wouldn’t cause any future issues. The plants going in the park include prairie blazing star, northern blazing star, common milkweed, red milkweed and sky blue astars, to name a few.
“I’ve asked (Dumke) questions about what plants he put in, how he did his, some negatives he wishes he didn’t do and some things he wishes he did,” Colon said. “I researched what plants were native to the area and specifically what plants were not around here.
There are some native plants here, but there are others that aren’t as popular.”
Colon noted the common milkweed will help attract more butterflies. She also wanted to include a mixture of flowers and grasses.
Colon obtained her Silver Award from the Girl Scouts for installing benches and planting some perennials around Olga Brener Intermediate School. She said that’s how she realized she has “a green thumb” and came up with the idea of improving the landscape at a city park to be eligible for a Gold Award.
“I brainstormed a couple of ideas and I went to the city, because my ideas were on city land,” Colon said. “I proposed my ideas to Matt Hendricks, and he gave me a couple of ideas. I did some research on those ideas and figured out this idea (prairie restoration) involved a green thumb.
“It’s challenging, but I think I’m able to do it.”
Hendricks noted that Colon first came to him last fall about what she could do to help, and he was eager to combine her passion with something that could help the city’s park system.
“We love it,” Hendricks said. “This is very positive. … The plan has always been to restore that area to a prairie area, and to have someone come in and help us do it is phenomenal.”
Colon also had to send her proposal to the regional Girl Scout council to make sure it would qualify as a Gold Award project. After the plan was approved, Colon’s family went to area businesses and clubs for donations so she could buy the prairie grasses and flowers from the Wild Ones for the project.
The biggest donation came from the Belle Plaine 4-H Club, which donated $500. Colon said she was surprised and expected the donation would be one-tenth of that.
“That was one-fourth of my plant budget,” she said.
Several family members and some students from Shawano Community High School helped Colon with Saturday’s project. Although she didn’t expect anyone to stick around if heavy rain started to fall, she planned to make sure all 487 plants were in the ground before the day was out.
“It’ll probably help the plants to get into wet soil, so if it rains, I’m still planting,” Colon said.
The project isn’t finished with the planting, however. Colon plans to visit Kuckuk on a regular basis to weed out any remaining crown vetch and make sure the native plants have a chance to thrive.
“I’ll be coming back next summer, too, to make sure the project is doing good,” Colon said.
The Gold Award is the highest achievement awarded in Girl Scouting.