Student-Village Vine Squad Collaboration

Project Description 

The goal of this project was to build ties between high school students and the Hastings Vine Squad to help village-wide efforts to fight invasive vines. Invasive vines can bring trees down, and removing them protects the trees. The project involved getting vine clearing tools for the Hastings High School Environmental Club and organizing two sessions to teach members of the club how to identify and remove invasive plants with the aim of bringing them into the larger Hastings Vine Squad community. My YCAF project last year also addressed invasive plants by creating a website and map with information describing what and where they are in Hastings, and conducting a vine removal session. This year I wanted to create a project that built upon my previous work and makes a more direct impact on Hastings' ecosystem and community.

Outputs 

• Purchased 30 vine removal tools, 15 pairs of gloves, and 4 buckets (to carry these items) for the Environmental Club for the training and future sessions

• 10 total attendees attended an invasive vine removal session, with future sessions planned

Outcomes 

• As a result of the one vine clearing session already held, a section of Draper Park is free of invasive vines, with more to be cleared in the second session

• As a result of the two vine clearing sessions, more high schoolers will be inspired to join the Hastings Vine Squad during their season

• As a result of providing tools to the Environmental Club, it will have the ability to hold additional similar events in the future without relying on outside support

Process

1. I purchased various loppers and other tools for vine clearing from Home Depot

2. I organized an invasive vine removal session with the Environmental Club, and we cleared out a some areas of Draper Park

3. I plan to hold a second session of this kind later in October, bringing in Hastings Vine Squad members to work alongside students

4. When the Hastings Vine Squad season officially begins in November, I plan to bring students from the past two sessions into the Vine Squad

Lessons Learned

• In working on my project, I learned about the difficulties of organizing events with high school extracurriculars, and the importance of planning and organizing earlier than one would think necessary

Students Involved

• 1 Project leader aged 15-24

• 9 Total project participants (excluding leaders)

• 7 Project participants aged 15-24 (excluding leaders)

Thank You's

I would like to thank Melissa Shandroff for helping me to organize these vine clearing sessions with the Environmental Club, and Haven Colgate for assisting me with instruction on identification and removal of invasive plants during the first session. I would also like to thank Bloomberg Philanthropies for funding this project.