Chaminade-Julienne helps restore new woods - EQIP Project at Mount Saint John

The Marianist Environmental Education Center at Mount Saint John recently received a three-year grant from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to restore an additional nine acres within the Marianist Nature Preserve. This acreage is under permanent protection by a conservation easement held by Tecumseh Land Trust. It’s an area of very young woods among the last dense stands of bush honeysuckle on the property. Earlier this month, a brush-cutter made short work of the first three acres of honeysuckle. We also removed a handful of autumn olive, Callery pear, tree of heaven, Asian bittersweet, privet, and buckthorn. On Earth Day weekend, volunteers from Chaminade Julienne High School helped plant native shrubs and trees, an effort that will continue as we add oak and hickory trees as well as various native shrubs, including buttonbush and ninebark in the wetter areas. We’re exploring options for adding a formal footpath to connect with the rest of the woodland trail so property visitors can enjoy the progress in the coming years.