Web Site for the Official Student Newspaper of Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota PTK banishes buckthorn by Barb Teed NCC Phi Theta Kappa members met for three days on campus and headed for the woods. The buckthorn woods, that is. Equipped with cutting shears, saws and warm clothes, the students came to help the building and grounds department remove buckthorn plants growing on college property. “The buckthorn species grows up and crowds out the other natural growing plants and cuts off the sunlight,” said Nate Olson, vice president of service for Phi Theta Kappa and organizer of the project. Olson said removing the buckthorn will benefit the college. The campus spends thousands of dollars a year on buckthorn removal, he said. Grounds and Roads Supervisor Jon Hanson said NCC pays about $3,000 per year to get rid of buckthorn and Phi Theta Kappa’s efforts will help save money. “Their volunteer work will save the college about $1,500 to $2,000 depending on the amount of area they are able to complete,” he said. “This is a very good project and we appreciate the efforts of PTK.” Hanson said NCC began buckthorn eradication three years ago. “I expect that we will be continuing this process for another five years and will have to continue to watch for re-growth for several years after this,” he said. “A reasonable estimate of solid stands of buckthorn that we have left is nine to ten acres.” Olson said it is easy to spot buckthorn in the fall. “We know it’s buckthorn because it is the only plant around here that still has green leaves,” he said. “It has black berries growing on it.” Hanson said buckthorn is a noxious weed and that other government agencies expect NCC to remove it. He hopes native species will grow in its place. “These native species will provide better habitat for the wildlife around our campus, but also will provide for better control of erosion leading into the wetlands found on our campus,” Hanson said. Almost 20 students signed up over three days, Olson said. They met Thursday, Friday and Saturday during MEA week, when most students were off. Olson called his project “Have You Picked Your Buckthorn Today?” The students were treated to pizza and pop in the Kopp Student Center following the buckthorn removal. Michael Kompanets, president of Phi Theta Kappa, said the organization plans to do more buckthorn removal during spring semester. Hanson said the buckthorn stumps will be chemically treated to prevent re-growth. “Elimination of the buckthorn is good stewardship of our property,” he said. Recently, NCC Phi Theta Kappa members organized a project to help the campus buildings and grounds department eliminate buckthorn from college land. The campus spends thousands of dollars to get rid of this invasive plant species, said Nate Olson, organizer of the project. Why is buckthorn such a problem? According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Recources, buckthorn: • Out-competes native plants for nutrients, light, and moisture • Degrades wildlife habitat • Threatens the future of forests, wetlands, prairies, and other natural habitats • Contributes to erosion by shading out other plants that grow on the forest floor • Serves as host to other pests, such as crown rust fungus and soybean aphid • Forms an impenetrable layer of vegetation • Lacks "natural controls" like insects or disease that would curb its growth Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/index.html)