Sign up for the Wolf Trap Fall Camp Out 9-10 October 2015
On Friday July 19th, forty-nine volunteers from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC (PwC), National Park Service staff, Walter (Pat) McMurray Acting Grounds Supervisor, Christopher Shuster, Edgar Deskins and Casey McCahill, and founding board directors of the Friends of Wolf Trap, Mike Moran and Marjorie Holsing, PwCs Green Team director, made a considerable impact on removing many of 14 invasive plant species from the native gardens at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. The volunteer workforce was assigned to install new mulch to the pathways and remove invasive plants. Timing for the event was perfect because dormant plant life tends to flourish almost magically after a major rainstorm. Heavy rains the night before and intermittent periods of cloud cover provided ideal conditions for the morning’s event. Most invasives could be pulled up quickly with minimal effort.
The event was a great opportunity for PwC staff to connect with colleagues to network and enjoy being outdoors. One of the young men shared a story about pulling weeds as a chore in his youth. On one very memorable occasion he laughingly boasted receiving 10 cents per plant as reward for meticulously uprooting wild onions that threatened to take over his parent’s lawn, netting him a small fortune.
Christopher Eckert from the Wolf Trap Foundation dropped by briefly to support and acknowledges the effort. The Native Gardens at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, initiated in 2013, is funded in large part by the Wolf Trap Foundation and community partners. The project has been adopted by the newly formed Friends of Wolf Trap and is ongoing with a primary objective to restore and maintain indigenous plants within the parks boundaries. PwC has been privileged to be a part of the volunteer workforce from the beginning and look forward to continuing the relationship.
Native garden areas include the acre which comprises a dimple garden located across the circle drive from the Filene Center, an indigenous species garden plot beside the box office, numerous newly created no-mow zones, and an expanding vegetable garden. A new project in the planning stages is a Shade Garden to be located behind downhill from the Center’s Ovations Restaurant near the vegetable garden.
Green spaces are important to our ecosystem. Volunteer support is always welcome to sustain and protect them.