Five Rivers MetroParks needs help collecting 120K nuts to protect local forests
The Community's Help is Needed this Fall to Grow Forests for the Future, Protect Pollinators. Collection locations vary and are specified below.
Event details
* this page may be updated if event is repeated in the future *
Five Rivers MetroParks needs help collecting 120K nuts to protect local forests
Goal is to collect 120,000 acorns and hickory nuts, along with milkweed seed. Nut-collection events start this weekend.
Healthy forests are critical to a healthy environment. However, Ohio’s tree population has declined due to climate change, such invasive species as the emerald ash borer and aggressive honeysuckle growth.
“The greater Dayton community collected more than 90,000 nuts during last fall’s ‘Go Nuts’ reforestation campaign,” said Michael Enright, Five Rivers MetroParks interim director of conservation. “Staff and volunteers planted these nuts last fall at Carriage Hill MetroPark, and the results have been very successful. Thousands of seedlings are flourishing and will grow into the healthy forests of the future. But that is just the start. Five Rivers MetroParks needs 120,000 nuts this year to continue the effort.”
Visit metroparks.org/forest to sign the “Leaf a Legacy” pledge, learn how to collect seeds at home and sign up for fall reforestation events. Join Five Rivers MetroParks staff and learn more about what seeds to collect and how they will be used in reforestation efforts. These family-friendly events are a great way for kids to explore the outdoors and learn about nature. All events will be held from 9 a.m. to noon.
- Sept. 19: Germantown MetroPark, park office, 6675 Conservancy Rd. in Germantown
- Sept. 20: Waldruhe Park, 10000 N. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg
- Sept. 27: Waldruhe Park, 10000 N. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg
- Oct. 10: Sinclair Park, 685 Shoup Mill Road in Dayton
- Oct. 17: Germantown MetroPark, park office, 6675 Conservancy Rd. in Germantown
Help also is needed to protect pollinators — such as bees, bats and butterflies — by collecting milkweed seed, which is best gathered in early fall. Directions for doing so can be found at metroparks.org/forest.
Five Rivers MetroParks is in the process of acquiring 112 acres of farmland located on Boomershine Road, across the street from Germantown MetroPark and near the park’s sled hill entrance. This spring, it will begin transforming the land into a prairie that will provide the food and nesting sites necessary for pollinators’ survival. Many of the plants will be milkweed, which is critical to monarchs since it’s the only plant on which these distinctive butterflies lay their eggs.
The project is funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Clean Ohio Green Space Conservation Fund. Protecting the dwindling monarch population is a priority for Fish & Wildlife, which is determining if monarchs should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Indeed, approximately 6,000 acres of monarch habitat is lost in the United States every day.
“In general, all pollinators are in trouble — and they’re all necessary for our natural areas and agricultural production,” Enright said. “Germantown MetroPark is a large natural area close to the Upper Twin Valley Conservation Area. In this larger, more stable natural area, we have an opportunity to enjoy great success.”
For additional volunteer opportunities to help Five Rivers MetroParks protect native trees and forest ecosystems, contact volunteer coordinator Yvonne Dunphe at 937-275-PARK (7275).
