Fall Meet, Greet & Deplete Buckthorn Event- MB Johnson Park
Come gather with like-minded people at our Fall Buckthorn Event at MB Johnson Park. We’ll start by getting acquainted at the playground shelter. Just as this work asks us to connect to the land, it also gives us the opportunity to connect with our community; to build these connections, we’re hosting a speed friending activity. Following this activity, we’ll take a short walk through the park and along the forest where our restoration work is underway. After putting in some time doing land stewardship, we’ll return to the shelter for brunch, more socializing, and final thoughts. Everyone is encouraged to bring a brunch item to share.
When & Where
- Date: Saturday Morning, October 24
- Location: MB Johnson Park — playground and indoor shelter
What We’ll Be Doing
- Removing large-berried buckthorn that has been cut down and treated by City of Moorhead Forestry
- Protecting bur oak saplings to support the next generation of forest growth
- Pulling sapling bur oaks-roots and all!
Schedule
- 10:00–10:40 AM – Potluck and Speed Friending (a series of short, rotating one-on-one chats for meeting new people.
- 10:40 AM – Intro / the work / walking tour
- 11:00 AM – Work
- 12:30 PM – Brunch at the indoor shelter
What to Bring & Wear
- Brunch items for sharing
- Sturdy boots (buckthorn is thorny!)
- Weather-appropriate layers; long pants and sleeves recommended. Clothing that doesn’t catch on thorns is a bonus.
- Work gloves (leather is best), if you have them, some will be provided by the city as well.
- Water bottle
About Our Group
Our group of volunteers has been collaborating with the City of Moorhead for several years in a collective effort to deplete the foothold of invasive buckthorn among the oak forests of our local parks. Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) is an aggressive shrub that spreads readily through forests, along fencelines, and into backyards. Its roots carry toxins that inhibit the germination of other plants, its leaves emerge early and persist late into fall to monopolize light in the understory, and its berries act as a laxative — forcing an early exit for the animals that eat them, which optimizes the buckthorn’s chances of germinating over a period of up to six years.
Our project focuses on organizing events at targeted areas in our local parks, where we can deplete buckthorn while protecting the oldest bur oaks in the forest. Alongside buckthorn removal, we’ve begun protecting bur oak saplings to help start a new generation of growth in the understory. We’ve also begun gathering acorns from these elder oaks to propagate and plant throughout the parks and across our region.
This work will take time, helpful hands, and an appreciation of restoration over time which weaves together community and the lands that sustain it. If you enjoy our parks, collective work and land restoration, this event is for you.