Friends Group at Turkey Run, Shades Indiana State Parks Receives Conservation Award
OutdoorHub 02.08.12
The Friends of Turkey Run and Shades State Parks group has earned the Friends of Conservation Award from the Parke County Soil and Water Conservation District for battling invasive plants.
The annual award is given to a business, organization or individual that has demonstrated, through construction design or land management, a concern for the environment. Previous Friends of Conservation winners include waterway construction contractors, and area farmers and landowners, according to Jaci Witty, administrative assistant for Parke County SWCD.
The Friends of Turkey Run and Shades State Parks group is committed to eliminating garlic mustard, bush honeysuckle and other invasive plants from the parks. The group also organizes eradication work days, staffs information tables at public events and presents programs about the harmful invasive plants.
“This year we’ve heard many good things about members of this friends group,” Witty said. “We wanted to recognize them for their dedication and hard work at Turkey Run and Shades.
Barbara Cummings, natural resources manager for the two parks, said members of the group have donated thousands of hours to restore important natural areas to pre-European settlement conditions.
“With little money in the budget for this critical work, these volunteers have stepped in and kept invasive plant eradication moving forward,” Cummings said.
The group will be honored at the Parke County SWCD annual meeting Feb. 16.
