Hi Everyone! Today, I began my volunteering projects with the Georgia Native Plant Society (GNPS). It did and did not meet my expectations of what I thought volunteering with GNPS would be like.
At 10 in the morning, I got to volunteer at the Stone Mountain Propagation Project (SMPP). Located behind the parking lot of Stone Mountain is a place filled with rows of pots of native plants that were being nurtured. There, I got to work separating native plants into gallon-sized pots they could grow in. The work taught me that gardening can require sawing apart the soil sometimes. I also learned to pot plants, which I have not done before. While volunteering at SMPP, I also got to meet other volunteers. Most of them were retired and their professions ranged from being a microbiologist at CDC to being in IT, but they all had a passion for gardening. Their level of knowledge in gardening also surprised me because it was not a part of their profession before. From them, I learned interesting things like insects can secrete chemicals that cause a specific plant (I can’t remember the name) to change its growth pattern to protect the insect’s egg; the effect on the plant also depends on the insect.
At 2 in the afternoon, I volunteered at Mary Scott Nature Park. I would pass by this park every day on my way to my high school, but I never visited it. At Mary Scott, I got to do what I had originally expected to do when partnering with GNPS: dig out invasive species of plants and promote the growth of native plants. I got to remove invasive plants from the ground, allowing the native plants to grow better. There, I got to meet Susan and Marty. They showed me the different plants that were invasive and native. I would follow Marty around and from her, I learned how to separate the “bad guys” and “good guys”. I would point out and help her remove the “bad guys”. The digging up of invasive plants mainly occurred near the parking lot at the entrance. This is because this is the site many people visit first. If visitors saw an invasive species growing at the park, they would assume that those same plants were suitable to buy from a store and to grow in their backyard. To avoid this, once a month volunteers would dig up and trash invasive plants to both promote native plants to visitors and to also allow the native plants to grow without competition.
In both these opportunities, the volunteers were very welcoming and would help me learn about Georgia plant life. I learned about their interesting and various backgrounds while they learned about mine. Volunteering with GNPS has started on a fun note and I hope that it continues like so.
I am excited about my future opportunities with GNPS!
Wow, it seems like you’re gaining a good amount of knowledge while working with your organization! I found it really interesting how so many of the volunteers you worked with for SMPP did not previously work in a profession that surrounded around or included gardening. I grew up and my folks still live about a 3 minute drive from Mary Scott Nature Park so it was so cool to see that place shouted out in your post. So many kids from both the Globe Academy and Shallowford Presbyterian Church (both within walking distance) use that space for an array of activities so I feel the need to personally thank you for giving it some love and your time to help keep it beautiful!
I like that you all dug up the “bad guys” specifically near the parking lot so that guests didn’t think they were suitable for their gardens at home. It’s a small but important detail that shows the importance of being intentional in our actions.
Also, with spring around the corner, I look forward to reading more about how GNPS prepares for the new season and hopefully catching glimpses of flowers blooming in future posts.
One thing that I can relate to in your experience is dealing with the invasive species present in different environments around Georgia. In previous volunteer work and with my current organization, the issue of invasive plant species and their negative impact on Georgia’s native plants was highlighted. Another thing I found interesting in your experience is the interactions you had with other volunteers. It’s cool to have the opportunity to meet people from vastly different backgrounds and experiences and be able to learn from them.
It is so cool that you are learning the difference between the invasive and native plants in Georgia! I know that Georgia has a lot of invasive species that have become so common that many people think they are possibly native species. I found it interesting that you started at the front of the entrance. It makes a lot of sense though that this is part of educating the public. We learn from everything we see and witness and to have species that are not native to Georgia at the very front of the entrance of all places would definitely confuse people! I cannot wait to see what else you get to do and learn from them!
Hi Sheryl, I’m so glad you had a fun time with GNPS! I also thought that GNPS simply removed non-native plants and planted native ones based on what I read on iCollege. It’s interesting to learn that many of these plant organizations also sell plants. Maybe the profit goes towards the employees’ salaries and the supplies required to carry out their mission. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience with us!