BILLINGS — This week is National Invasive Species Awareness Week, highlighting the threat they pose and what can be done to prevent their spread.
On Saturday in Billings, a volunteer work party was held at Two Moon Park to wrap up the awareness week and help maintain the natural area.
It was a community effort with citizens volunteering their time to gather brush, debris, and invasive species.
In Yellowstone County, residents enjoy the abundance of parks.
“We’re spoiled," said Anthony Sammartano, the caretaker of Two Moon Park, on Saturday. "There’s so many great river access parks and they’re all open to the general public."
But getting out into the great outdoors comes with responsibility.
"We all have to step up and do our part to protect and preserve our natural beauty,” said Megan Hoyer, an education specialist and crew foreman for the Yellowstone County Public Works Noxious Weeds Division, on Saturday. “We’re pretty lucky living in Billings. There are many natural areas and it also brings a lot of cool people together. And there’s a lot of groups that help preserve these areas.”
Yellowstone County’s first-ever 'Boot Brush Station' recently debuted at Two Moon Park, located at 850 Two Moon Park Road.
"The idea is, is that you leave no trace. So when you come into the park, you brush out your mud and what weed seeds you might be carrying. And after you play in the park and experience it, you don’t want to spread the weeds anywhere else. So you use (the boot brush) on your way out," Hoyer said. “The sign (above the boot brush) features the top weeds in this park. We have Whitetop we’re going to start seeing early this spring. We’ve got Canada Thistle kind of all over it. We’ve got Common Buckthorn and a few others. Just to list, there’s Leafy Spurge, Saltcedar, and Russian Olive."
Hoyer said there are three simple words to remember when enjoying the outdoors:
"Play, clean, go," said Hoyer. "Go out and enjoy the great outdoors but don’t let those invasive species catch a ride."
The new boot brush was put to use Saturday during the work party.
"(Invasive species) already spread by wind, water, and animals easily on their own," Hoyer said. "Two Moon Park being right by the riverbed, we experience a lot of traffic here."
Volunteers targeted invasive species and attempted to revegetate the area.
“We're getting rid of Russian Olives and Buckthorn so the understory can grow back," said Bob Mackin, the president of the Yellowstone River Parks Association, on Saturday. "Maybe even some Cottonwoods. One thing I’ve learned is most of the Cottonwoods are all the same age. There’s two ages here. It’s like 40-year-olds and 60-year-old Cottonwoods. So we need some youngsters in the crowd."
Volunteers from the Yellowstone River Parks Association (YRPA), Yellowstone County Public Works Noxious Weeds Division, and the public spent their day hard at work.
"It’s just fantastic. We’ve got all ages. There’s some youth here, some older folks. And dogs," Mackin said. “I think it just builds character for the community."
Father-and-son Dane and Weston Gampe dedicate much of their time to volunteering.
“It always builds our family relationships when we’re serving together. We’re a very religious home and we try to implement the teachings of Jesus Christ in our home. And so there’s no better way than to serve together,” Dane said on Saturday. “If you’re looking for ways to serve, there’s an organization, justserve.com. There are tons of projects posted. There’s so much need in this community and so it's an outlet to be able to search for those opportunities."
They jumped at the opportunity to help at Two Moon Park after Dane saw the project posted on justserve.com.
“I’ve been in Billings for 13 years and I love this community. It’s home," Dane said. "To see so many people come together from so many different organizations, it’s really heartwarming to see that.”
Coming together to protect and preserve the park.
"I like to help," Weston said. "Feels really nice inside."
To learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities with YRPA, click here.
To learn more about National Invasive Species Awareness Week, click here.
