Slow
going at Mitchell Blvd. Park
County risk management blocks controlled
burn
April
2, 2007 -- The battle against rapidly spreading
invasive plant species in Mitchell Blvd. Park will be
take much longer than necessary if the county's insurance
and risk manager cannot be convinced of the benefits of
a controlled burn in the park, according to parks officials.
The
risk manager not only wanted a fire truck stationed at
the park during the burn, but wanted a guarantee that
the truck would not be called away no matter what happened
elsewhere in the city, County Supervisor Lynne DeBruin
told Story Hill residents at the Story Hill Neighborhood
Association's quarterly meeting.
The
county, with high hopes and expectations, planted natural
areas on the south and west sides of the park when it
was renovated a few years ago. Since then, invasive garlic
mustard and burdock, among other noxious plants, have
begun pushing out more desirable native plants.
"The
whole naturalization program is much more difficult than
one would realize," parks Operations Manager Chuck
Ward said.
The
natural area can take more than eight years to restore
without a controlled burn, and four to five years with
a controlled burn, DeBruin said.
The
county's bureaucracy stands in the way, however. One concern
of the risk manager is that smoke from the fire will float
over the freeway, trigger an asthma attack in a person
in a car, and cause an accident, DeBruin said.
The
Parks Department is trying to show "Yes, we can do
it (a burn) in a responsible manner -- we're not going
to burn down Kelly's Bleachers," said Paul Kortebein,
natural lands manager for the Parks Department. Kelly's
Bleachers is a popular Bluemound Rd. bar.
In
a related matter, DeBruin said the county will plant new
trees in the natural area on the south end of the park.
The spots where they will be planted are marked by pink
stakes.
In
addition, she said, the Parks Department will try to ensure
that the bathrooms in the pavilion are open on a more
consistent basis.
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version
Good
news, bad news
Posted Aug. 14, 2006
It
took several weeks, but parks workers finally took away
the dead branch that was lying in front of this dying
tree in Mitchell Blvd. Park.
The next task will be to offer training in plant identification.
A Sedum for example, is a fall-blooming perennial, not
a weed to be chopped down and left strewn about all over
the place.
A lonely survivor
