Get out, invader

La Conner residents received an Ivy League education at Pioneer Park on Saturday.

The volunteers, led by trained natural resources specialist Steve Phillips, spent a couple hours removing invasive English ivy from a patch below the town water tower.

It marked the second such work party at the park this fall.

Phillips envisions the ivy removal project continuing monthly through autumn and winter and in the years ahead, if possible.

"We decided to do this now, because summers are so busy, and nobody has the time," he said. "Plus, it doesn't conflict with bird nesting time and the soil is easier to work with this time of year."

The task has the blessings of the town parks commission and public works department. It's necessary because ivy is an "opportunist" that smothers native plants.

"The ivy will crowd out native ground cover," Phillips said. "We have these little pockets of biodiversity in the park, and they're very important."

He identified an array of park flora, including Oregon grape and medicinal snowberries, for the volunteer corps.

"This is a great plant to have here," Phillips said of Oregon grape, popular for its dense clusters of yellow spring flowers. "It helps prevent erosion."

Within just a few minutes Phillips and his crew, whose ranks included Pete and Debra Wedin, had created a tall, thick pile of ivy.

"It gets composted, which is awesome," Phillips said.

Phillips, a University of Denver environmental science major, noticed the invasion at Pioneer Park during his hikes there and while driving to his job with the Anacortes Parks Department.

"You can see it climbing up some of the trees," he said. Ivy is often spread from seeds consumed by birds and dispersed to new areas.

It also spreads outward through its long vines and can climb over most obstacles, including trees and buildings.

Alarmed by what he saw, Phillips put out a call on social media recruiting volunteers.

"English/Algerian ivy is running rampant at the park and displacing the native ferns and shrubs in the understory," he posted. "But it's not too late to take action to prevent its spread into new areas and rehabilitate the areas where it has become established."

The response was impressive.

"We had a great turnout last month," Phillips said. "We want to make this a continuing effort before it gets too miserable. This is a good volunteer project. You can pull the ivy out and it won't come back if you get the roots."

Phillips knows well of what he speaks.

He's done much invasive plant eradication during a career that included four years with the San Francisco Parks & Recreation Department. That's when he met his wife, Catey Ritchie, whose metaphorical roots extend to La Conner's founding family.

An environmental science grad from Western Washington University on staff with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Ritchie was among the volunteers who gathered at Pioneer Park Saturday morning.

Also pitching in was La Conner artist Maggie Wilder, who previously led the volunteer effort to restore the murals at Pioneer Park beneath Rainbow Bridge.

A steady stream of volunteers continued to arrive on the park's north side throughout the morning. Phillips and Ritchie appreciated the participation.

"There's plenty of work to go around," said Ritchie, scoping out next month's work area.

"I'm happy to have so many people here," Phillips said. "I hope to do this during fall and winter for years to come."