If you can work in the winter cold for a few hours picking up arm loads of sticks, the Ad Hoc Preserve Committee wants your help on Saturday and Sunday, Feb 11 and 12.

“There will be two [Preserve] work parties, one on Feb. 11 and the other on Feb. 12, from 10 a.m. until noon. We’re going to be picking up and moving sticks to make wildlife-friendly stick piles. The reason for this is that some areas around Pequot Bog are so covered with sticks and branches that we can’t access the areas to do weed eradication,” said Kathy Connolly of The Preserve Committee.

Winter is a good time to get a head-start on weed management in The Preserve, she explained.

“In the winter, you can make a lot of progress weakening weeds and making it more difficult from them to emerge. They also then become easier to eradicate,” said Connolly. “In winter, native plants are dormant and can’t be damaged by footsteps. Reptiles are dormant. Tangled vines are fewer. The ground may be frozen and less susceptible to depression by footsteps.”

Volunteers participating in this winter work weekend will target three patches next to Pequot Bog that total about one-half acre. About 400 feet near the edge of the bog needs to be cleared of sticks, branches, and brambles to allow another work crew to access the area to eradicate weeds growing there.

The weed and invasive species removal work around Pequot Bog began in fall 2016 with the cutting down of overgrown brush and spraying of weeds. In the bog area, weeds and non-native plants have overtaken native plants. To have the native plants return and thrive, the weeds must be eliminated. Connolly described it as a two-step process. First the overgrown area is cleared of sticks and brambles, and then, the weeds that remain are sprayed to kill them.

“This work is part of a broader weed management plan to restore the area around the bog and return it to a healthy, self-generating area, with native plants growing instead of an area choked by invasive weeds,” said Connolly.

Any work party volunteers should wear heavy leather work gloves to protect their hands from the brambles and thorns. Eye protection is also advised. Since branches could block access to work areas, those who can should bring pruners or lopper tools with them. All participants should plan to bring snacks and water. Due to the nature of the work, Connolly asks that no children under 12 years of age be included this time.

Connolly said the goal of the work is to clear the bog edge for another work crew to do a late-winter cutting of Japanese barberry, various brambles, and bittersweet vines.

Since parking at the Ingham Hill Road Preserve trail head is limited to about eight cars, carpools are encouraged for each of the two work days. Volunteers who can carpool should meet at the commuter parking lot on Route 154 at 9:45 a.m. This lot is just south of the intersection of Route 154 and Bokum Road; driving north on Route 154 from Old Saybrook, the lot is on the left, on the same side as Bokum Road.

Anyone interested in joining a pick-up-sticks work party should go to The Preserve’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/preserve1000acres and sign up to receive the newsletter. Volunteers can also indicate their interest by calling Kathy Connolly at 860-388-0710.

The snow or rain date for the work weekend will be the following weekend of Feb. 18 and 19.