Go Native in Twinbrook Parks!

Sarah Salazar, Chuck Woolery, and other Twinbrook volunteers interested in protecting our local parks are forming a Twinbrook team focused on replacing invasive with native plants in Twinbrook parks.

Two pilot areas have been targeted in the past couple of weeks – one on the stream bank by the bike path below the 7-11 and one on the hill below the Twinbrook pool parking lot. Chuck removes invasives as part of his exercise program (you can exercise this way, too), and his efforts created some bare spots that need filling. Sarah Salazar received permission from Rockville’s Recreation and Parks Program to plant natives in the park, in hopes of keeping returning invasive plants at bay.

The native plants were donated by Montgomery County’s Pope Farm Native Plant Program and by a few native plant enthusiasts in Twinbrook who grow native plants in their yards. More than 25 different species, primarily local ecotypes that are good for our growing conditions and wildlife, were transplanted by a group of enthusiastic Twinbrook residents.

If you are interested in helping remove invasives or planting natives in the future, contact Chuck at chuck@igc.org or Anne Goodman at communitywildlifehabitat@gmail.com. We hope to develop a Twinbrook listserv to share information about improving the quality of our parks for wildlife and engage others wanting to learn about restoring nature in their home gardens.