Boy Scout Troop 209 cleared roughly half an acre of invasive honeysuckle from Kelley Nature Preserve in Loveland, logging more than 120 volunteer hours.
The Clermont County Park District announced the completed project in a social media post, crediting a Troop 209 member named Nicholas with organizing the effort, according to the Clermont Guardian. The volunteers stripped bush honeysuckle from the forest floor at the 42-acre preserve along the Little Miami River.
The result matters for anyone who hikes or paddles at Kelley. The park district said removing the dense shrub lets sunlight reach the ground again, giving native plants room to take root and improving habitat for wildlife along the river corridor. The preserve, at 297 Center St., offers more than two miles of hiking trails, including the Birder's Loop Trail, and canoe and kayak access to the Little Miami.
These invasive bush honeysuckle species were introduced to North America centuries ago as ornamentals and later promoted for wildlife cover and erosion control.
Half an acre may sound modest. But in a dense stand of honeysuckle, every cleared patch opens a window for native wildflowers, ferns and tree seedlings that had been crowded out.
The preserve was created in part through a gift from Virginia Kelley as a memorial to her husband, Walter A. Kelley, according to the Clermont County Park District. It is one of four nature preserves the district manages across Clermont County.
Kelley Nature Preserve is open to the public year-round, with a paved parking lot that holds about 50 cars.
