Our Team for Healthy Parks, also known as “the crew” carries out integral projects year-round, across all Olmsted Parks and Parkways. This small, but mighty team of biological technicians (that’s their formal title!), make significant contributions towards keeping Louisville’s Olmsted Parks extraordinary!
If you see the Conservancy’s big white box truck (called the “Nut Truck”) in an Olmsted Park you can be certain the Team is near-by and working hard! Currently the Team has three employees and one intern. Team members Matt Spalding, Tim Morton, and Anna Krippenstapel have extensive botanical and environmental knowledge and employ best practices in their work to keep the parks healthy.
One of the most important accomplishments by the Team is the on-going Woodland Restoration Project in Cherokee and Seneca Parks. Over 250 acres of invasive species, primarily bush honeysuckle, were cleared by the Team with help from thousands of volunteers over the past few years. The Team continues to work on eradicating invasive vines and ground cover. This project is saving the urban forest in the parks from devastation, making the parks safer, healthier and more beautiful for you and future generations.
Every season of the year, there is much work for the Team to tackle. They plant trees in the fall and winter, and irrigate them in the dry summer. Winter is also a great time for early detection of invasive species allowing for a rapid response to prevent infestation. Maintaining trails, restoring park structures, chipping, planting and maintaining prairies, installing park benches, and implementing master plan projects occur in all seasons. Overseeing volunteer groups, training Park Stewards, and keeping detailed horticultural and botanical records round out our Team members’ tasks month in and month out.
Stop by to say hello to the Team when you see them in the Parks! They love to meet park users and we can guarantee they will share an interesting fact or two about the Olmsted Parks!
Thank you to our dedicated Team for Healthy Parks for their hard work!
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