Valentine’s Day fundraiser lets you destroy buckthorn named after your ex
By Molly Bernard
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EAGLE, Wisconsin (WISN) — Roses and buckthorn have thorns, but one is a sign of love while the other is an invasive species in southeast Wisconsin.
Waukesha County Land Conservancy is hoping to turn some heartbreak this Valentine’s Day into habitat restoration through a unique fundraiser, centered around clearing Buckthorn.
“It creates these really dense thickets that shade out the ground layer. And once you introduce too much shade into these, these native ecosystems, like prairies in oak openings, they start to die,” said Aaron Feggestad, an ecologist on Waukesha County Land Conservancy’s board of directors.
Feggestad said Eagle Centre Prairie State Natural Area, in Eagle, Wisconsin, is one of those impacted prairies. Just walking through the landscape, it’s easy to see where volunteers have cleared buckthorn, creating more open spaces with prairie grasses. Meanwhile, other parts of the kettle are completely covered in thick patches of buckthorn, with no prairie grass growing underneath.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the nonprofit is helping donors metaphorically take an ax to their ex, and buckthorn, for just $5.
“The whole premise is to name a buckthorn tree, which is an invasive plant here in Wisconsin, after your ex, and it’s open to interpretation,” said Helen Holtz, land management director for Waukesha County Land Conservancy.
Holtz suggested using ex-partners, ex-friends, even a past or current boss or co-worker you don’t see eye to eye with, as possible names to submit.
“After cutting it, we will also write the name of that person on the stump. And then we treat it with herbicide as well, so it never comes back. So it’s never a thorn in your side again,” Holtz said.
To add a little icing on top, all the cut-down buckthorn will also be safely burned. Each donor will also get a picture of the stump with their ex’s name on it. Holtz said she’s already heard back from a few individuals who said it felt cathartic.
“Really just kind of a great way to let go and start over and start fresh,” Holtz said.
Each donation will go toward prairie seeds. Since buckthorn shade out and eventually kill natural plants, new native species need to be planted to help restore the landscape and ecosystem.
Like some exes, buckthorn can be hard to get rid of. It easily spreads in southeast Wisconsin, but the work to save these landscapes doesn’t end with one organization or one fundraiser.
“It takes, again, a community, and it takes a long outlook, right? We can’t just be out here once working. We got to be out here caring for the land indefinitely, and that’s what we plan to do,” Feggestad said.
You can find the direct link to the “Let’s Get Rid Of The Thorn In Your Side” fundraiser here. It will be open through Feb. 14.
Waukesha County Land Conservancy is holding a volunteer event this weekend to help clear even more buckthorn at Eagle Centre Prairie State Natural Area. You can register to volunteer.
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