While much of our habitat work is focused on Columbia’s Kiwanis Park and Garth Nature Area, this fall Missouri Conservation Corps started working in a new (to us) Columbia park. Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary is a 92-acre park on the west side of Columbia. The park encompasses areas of forest, prairie, a paved walking path and primitive hiking trails. Missouri Conservation Corps scheduled two volunteer workdays in Bonnie View, one in October and one in December. During our October workday we partnered with members of Columbia Audubon Society and the Boone’s Lick Chapter of Missouri Master Naturalists. Our volunteers split up into two groups, with half of us working in the prairie area under the guidance of Columbia Audubon Society member John Besser. The other group of volunteers followed the trail west of the paved loop to a forested area, cutting honeysuckle around and beneath some of the old trees in this portion of the park. After several hours of work, we brought both groups together at the end of the event to enjoy pizza and conversation in the park shelter.
Our second workday in Bonnie View took place on a sunny Saturday, December 7th, and volunteer turnout was impressive for a cold day in early December. We were joined once again by the indefatigable members of Missouri Master Naturalists, as well as by members of the Columbia Audubon Society. Our work during this event focused on the border between the forest and the prairie area, just southwest of the park shelter. Our discoveries during this work event included several very large black walnut trees, an open area resembling a glade, and a ten-foot-tall honeysuckle bush with a six-inch diameter (no kidding…see photos). It took two handsaws, three volunteers, several conflicting strategies, and about 25 minutes to finally remove that honeysuckle bush.
During these two workdays, our energetic volunteers removed a huge amount of honeysuckle and autumn olive, exposed several beautiful native trees, improved the habitat of the park, and ended the workday with pizza and hot cocoa at the park shelter.
