Operation WRIP (Watchung Reservation Invasive Plants) – Saturday, April 6, 2024
Operation WRIP (Watchung Reservation Invasive Plants) will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Registration is required to participate. Camping and participation is FREE.
The link to register is here- Patriots’ Path Council – Operation WRIP (scoutingevent.com)
The goal of the event will be to remove as many invasive plants from the Watchung Reservation forest ecosystem as possible in one morning.
On that date, it is expected that Japanese barberry and multiflora rosa bushes will be the only plants in the forest with green leaves, making it easy to identify them. The plants will be removed by pulling, digging up the root balls, or cutting.
Scouting volunteers can sign up as a unit or as an individual.
Participants must arrive and check-in between 8:30 am and 9:00 am. Participants will park at the Trailside Nature & Science Center parking lot, 452 New Providence Road, Mountainside, and will gather at the amphitheater located between there and the Scout Camping Area. Union County Parks staff will provide instructions on how to remove plants and then make assignments. All participants will return to the amphitheater at noon to check-out.
Scout BSA and Venture Crew participants will be assigned to specific areas throughout the 2,143-acre park. Units will need to transport their members to those locations. All Cub Scout participants and any individual Scout BSA participants will be assigned to areas close to the Trailside Nature & Science Center.
County staff and Watchung Reservation Trail Stewards will be on site to provide logistical support and technical guidance, as well as supervision of individual Scouts. Some work gloves and tools will be available for use by event participants.
Service hours can be credited toward rank advancements, or as conservation hours for Camping Merit Badge. Operation WRIP will be a rain or shine event.
The Scout Camping Area will be available at no charge to Scouts BSA troops or Venture Crews that wish to camp overnight Friday and/or Saturday, on a first come- first served basis.
This event will be co-sponsored by the Union County Board of County Commissioners. All participants are asked to register by April 3, 2024. Complete details will be emailed to participants after they register.
