One of my nieces is recreation director of one of Kentucky's larger cities and as such is in charge of building a "greenway" (hiking/biking path) along the Licking River.

Being smart, she begged me into becoming one of her trail stewards in charge of a volunteer crew on periodic work days spent ridding the area of invasive, non-native plants.

Our current focus is Asian bush honeysuckle, which has run amok in this area for decades.

I have spent many hours shivering in the cold, sweating in the heat, cutting this invader with chain saws, bow saws and lopping shears, then dragging away the brush and spraying the stumps.

We work for three hours at a time, then try to feel good about having cleared an area not much bigger than a front lawn.  Nothing grows beneath its "canopy."

This stuff is tenacious, with trunks nearly as big as my thigh.  

We have miles to go.

My arms hurt.

This stuff is the enemy.

I see it in my sleep.

You must not let invasive species like this get a foothold in sensitive areas. I'm all for an aggressive, early response.

-- kypaddler