Finding Balance - National Public Lands Day
- Olivia Whorl
- Aug 17
- 2 min read
In 1994, the National Environmental Education Foundation established National Public Lands Day (NPLD). Their goal was to connect people with their outdoor environment
through the largest single-day volunteer event in the country. To celebrate NPLD this year, the Accokeek Foundation is hosting an invasive plant removal volunteer series starting on September 27, 2026, and continuing every day for two weeks. For one hour each of those days, volunteers will have the opportunity to support the stewardship of the 300 acres of Piscataway Park under the Foundation’s care. Volunteers are woven into the fabric of the Accokeek Foundation’s work in the park and without them our small but mighty Natural Resources team would not be able to accomplish the herculean feats that they do each year.
Why is invasive plant removal important? At first glance, it may be hard to distinguish native and invasive plants that occupy Piscataway Park, but the invasive plants hiding in plain sight disrupt the native environment. Native plants work in harmony with their environment like a well-oiled machine. They provide food for pollinating insects like bees and butterflies, and their robust root systems carry water deeper into the ground and prevent erosion.
Plants need five main things to grow: sunlight, water, CO2, nutrients, and space. Invasive plants outcompete natives in each of these categories. They shade out the native plant species, so they cannot get enough sunlight to grow, encroach on space that native plants need to properly grow and unfurl their leaves, or take all the nutrients from the soil with their long and fast-spreading root systems.
One of the Accokeek Foundation's values is to always prioritize balance. There are times when the overall land management goals necessitate a more nuanced approach to invasive species management. In some cases, like when the only thing holding a riverbank together is invasive plants, it can do more harm than good to remove invasives too quickly. In some rare cases, it is possible to let nature put itself back into balance. In many cases, however, there is a need for human intervention. In any of these situations we must be conscious of the effects our intervention may have on the environment as a whole. Our top priority is to consider how our actions will affect the natural and cultural landscape of the park.
For this NPLD, we will focus on removing Castor Aralia and Bush Honeysuckle. Castor Aralia is a relatively recent invasive species to the area, while Bush Honeysuckle is more established. The Bush Honeysuckle is problematic in our park because it creates "ecological traps" for native songbirds. Even though the bush provides cover and berries, the branching structures expose nests to higher rates of predation, and the berries, while filling, are nutritionally poor.
We would love to have you as part of our invasive removal events this September. It will be a great opportunity to get your hands dirty and learn a bit more about the ecology here at the Accokeek Foundation! You can learn more and sign up here.
