By Ken Valenti

WESTPORT–The Earthplace wildlife sanctuary and education center invites you to join the staff in removing invasive plants and tending trails at the second annual Community Volunteer Day on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Trail restoration

Volunteers will pull out Japanese stilt grass, oriental bittersweet and other non-native plants in the 62-acre nature preserve at 10 Woodside Lane, Westport, said Veronica Swain, director of nature education and conservation. They’ll restore the trails by lining the paths to define them and by spreading mulch where needed, Swain said.

Community members will begin gathering at 10 a.m. for coffee, tea and mingling before hitting the trails at 10:15 a.m. The work is scheduled to continue until 12:30 p.m.

Westport’s largest open space

Participants in the first Community Volunteer Day, held last year, enjoyed the opportunity to help maintain Westport’s largest open space, and to learn how to identify and remove invasive plants, Swain said.

“Some came with friends, and loved being able to do something for their local community while socializing,” she said. “Not only is there a sense of accomplishment when the project is done, there are also the feel-good chemicals that come from being outdoors surrounded by greenery.”

Bring water

Volunteers are reminded to bring a bottle of water and tick repellent and to wear pants, long socks and tick repellent. Gloves and tools will be provided.

Register for Community Volunteer Day here.

In addition to Community Volunteer Day, Earthplace also offers Corporate Group Service days for companies looking to get their teams involved, Swain said. More information can be found at earthplace.org, or by calling 203-557-4400.

Recent Westport Journal coverage of Earthplace

• How clean is Long Island Sound?
• Sniffing out the four-legged culprit – Nature Detectives on the case
• Earthplace welcomes Amee Borys as executive director
• Aw, shucks! Donors slurp cocktails and clams to support science education

Ken Valenti

^{_{A career journalist and lifelong resident of the New York City region, Ken Valenti has enjoyed decades of reporting local, regional and national news in New York and Connecticut. Topics of special interest are development, the environment, Long Island Sound and transportation. When not reporting, he’s always on the lookout for the perfect coffee shop or used book sale.}}