Volunteers To Weed Out Garlic Mustard From Stony Creek

A small army of volunteers will gather at Stony Creek June 4 to clear out the invasive species known as garlic mustard.

To combat the spread of this invasive species, REI of Troy, which is an outdoor gear store, is trying to give Mother Nature a helping hand by pulling the invasive species from Stony Creek. A group of about 50 volunteers will meet at the Stony Creek Metropark Nature Center at 10 a.m. for instructions and then the volunteers will hit the trails.

"We encourage people to come out because garlic mustard is an invasive species … there is nothing here that can kill it, so once it comes in it can go crazy,” said Becky Gajewski, a natural resource technician with the metroparks. “We like people to come out and give us a hand. Pulling it by hand is the easiest way to get rid of it before it seeds, so we want to get as much out as we can before its too late."

Entry to the park is free for volunteers, but those interested in joining the pull must RSVP to Gajewski at becky.gajewski@metroparks.com or 810-227-2757 by June 2.

Volunteers are asked to wear long pants and closed toe shoes. Work gloves, tools, water, and snacks will be provided. The effort is part of REI’s involvement with National Trails Day. For more information on the event, click here.

There are many clusters of volunteer groups across the state of Michigan that are working to eradicate the garlic mustard seed species in Michigan. From April to July, all these groups will have their own mustard-pull events.

After the event, each volunteer branch will count their weed-filled bags. Their direct goal is to collectively pull 150,000 pounds of weeds by July 8.

Garlic mustard was brought to Europe in the 1800s from Belgium, the Netherlands and the British Isles. It was commonly eaten by settlers in the spring and winter seasons because of the lack of crops. According to the Plant Conservation Alliance, the garlic mustard plant can be found in forests, hedgerows and forest edges from eastern Canada to as far south as Virginia, and as far west as Kansas and Nebraska.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there are currently eight states that list the garlic mustard plant as a noxious or banned weed. Currently, Michigan has a class C restriction on all mustard family plants. This means that it is prohibited to sell garlic mustard seeds in the state of Michigan. It is considered a contaminate, because of how rapidly the seeds spread and the plants grow.

Richard Simek, the program supervisor of the University of Michigan-Dearborn Environmental Interpretive Center, says that Europeans did not know garlic mustard plants were invasive when they first arrived.

He explained that garlic mustard plant will shade and crowd out woodland flowers. The plant also secretes an odor that will prevent tree saplings from growing. The rapid growth of garlic mustard does not only affect other plant life, but local wildlife and food webs as well.

According to the 2010 garlic mustard pull results, the Stewardship Network exceeded their goal and collected 243,216 pounds of garlic mustard.

“If you've never pulled garlic mustard, it's a nice way to get out in the woods while doing good,” Gruelle said. “It's also a lovely smell–if you like garlic.”

To report the amount of garlic mustard you have pulled, fill out the form available here.