The cry went out, “We need pullers!” The response was immediate as volunteers hurried to respond. Next it was, “Loppers!” Again, racing feet pounded to give aid. The swiftness of the defenders was necessary, for in this ten year war, the invader has never given quarter. There was a fever pitched battle this afternoon between members of the Benjamin Logan Environmental Science Club and the invasive bush honeysuckle that has claimed the Benjamin Logan campus as its unnatural home.

The session began with a video briefing in the classroom. What are invasive species? Anything that is not native and is also harmful. Why is bush honeysuckle so undesirable? It is allelopathic, it releases chemicals into the soil which helps it outcompete native plants. Aren’t the berries mast for wildlife? The berries contain sugars but lack the proteins and fats that birds need.

The next step was to organize the defense. Students were put into teams consisting of loppers, those who cut the plants off as close to the ground as possible, pullers who created brush piles (nice for wildlife habitat) from the cut honeysuckle, and painters, those who treated the stumps so that new growth would not emerge. The ESC has worked on Benjamin Logan’s bush honeysuckle since the organization was founded a decade ago. Progress has been made, but this year’s clearance efforts may have been the most effective to date.

The Benjamin Logan Environmental Science Club is co-sponsored by the school district and the Logan County Land Trust. Today’s efforts were led by Land Trust director Bob Stoll, teachers Ryan Kerns, Spencer Reames, and Bruce Smith along with parent volunteer Ashley Zvansky.