Charlie DeLong, son of volunteer park naturalist Chris DeLong, is undertaking the planting of hazelnut shrubs and pollinator friendly plants along the "old roadbed" between Karnes and the Coleman Highland Spring as his Eagle Scout project. His main work day for the planting of these shrubs was the afternoon of May 7th but we got started with a few of them on 4/22. The wildflowers went in Wednesday May 24. (It's actually an old rail bed. We found an 1877 map that shows the short lived K.C.M.&M. line going through there.)
A Missouri native plant, American Hazelnut, Corylus americana, was chosen for its suitablity to the site, wildlife value and beauty. Yes, the nuts are edible, although they are smaller than commercial hazelnuts and likely to be fewer in number. The plants for the sunnier east portion of the old roadbed slope include little bluestem, columbine, purple milkweed and sky blue aster. These were chosen to supply both larval food to early monarch butterflies heading north, and nectar to later monarch butterflies heading south.
About 40 neighbors and voluteers joined ten trailbuilders in spiffing up Roanoke Park on Saturday, April 13, 2013. Enthusiasm was flagging as the morning wore on but it was all smiles at the lunch provided by Whole Foods' Miles Krivena and chef Ryan. Many commented that is was the best lasagna they'd every had! The work mainly concentrated in the Southwest corner of the park:
THANK YOU to all who attended.
Trail Maps, in various formats:
Roanoke_Park_Trails.pdf (417 kb).
Roanoke Park Trees and Trails Google Map
"Roanoke Park Tour" on MTBProject.com
To avoid damaging trails, check Trail Status before biking or hiking off road. ("Rozarks" = Roanoke Park's 2.5 miles plus Rosedale's 3.5 miles.)
Contact the Westport-Roanoke Community Center to find out about their facilities or inquire about reserving spaces.