Avon Lake Pride Day Is Saturday

AVON LAKE, OH — Volunteers will pull garlic mustard from the Kopf Reservation as part of Saturday's Avon Lake Pride Day. The removal of the invasive species will last about two hours.

The garlic mustard pull is sponsored by the Avon Lake Environmental Affairs Advisory Board and is part of its 2018 Pride Day Event. From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. volunteers will pull garlic mustard — an invasive species — to make room for more native plants.

Volunteers should meet at Belle Park, at the end of Armour Drive (which is off Walker Road). Volunteers will be working on the South Loop, which is to the left of Belle Park.

Garlic mustard plants can destroy native plants in the region using two methods. First, the plants release a bevy of seeds, making it difficult for other plants to get the nutrients they need or find places to set roots. Second, the garlic mustard plants will release a toxin into the soil that makes it even harder for native plants to grow.

Pride Day takes place across Lorain County with different cities celebrating in a variety of ways. The Avon Lake Community Pride Day started in 2016. Both Pride Days are part of the Keep America Beautiful campaign, which seeks to reduce littering, improve recycling, and beautify communities across the country. Some 22 communities throughout Lorain County took part, in some form, in Pride Day in 2017.

The Avon Lake Environmental Affairs Board pulled garlic mustard from Kopf Reservation in 2017 and the Kiwanis Club cleaned up Safety Town. Residents are encouraged to make some small effort on Saturday to help clean up or restore parts of the city's natural beauty.

Photo of garlic mustard from Shutterstock