Southwest Airlines and SCA Volunteers Complete 250 Hours of Service at Three East Coast Parks
Conservation in Action Tour visits New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC
Stories from the Road: Southwest Airlines' Conservation in Action Tour
Below is a segment from one of the latest installments in the Stories From the Road series on BlogSouthwest.com.
We just wrapped up our project in the City of Brotherly Love at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, and it had anything and everything we could ask for in a service day. That includes sun, fun, and a large group of the hardest-working volunteers out there. 31 SWA and SCA volunteers showed up to dedicate their time to the refuge by removing an invasive plant called wisteria from an open field. Wisteria is a nasty, invasive plant that grows in the form of vines. It sprouts from the ground, wraps itself around healthy trees and strangles them, taking away their necessary sunlight to photosynthesize. These vines not only suppress sunlight from the trees they latch onto, but also out-compete native trees for resources like water. In addition, wisteria removes native floral habitat for many bird species and wildlife. The removal of this plant was vital to the health of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge’s ecosystem.
When I mentioned that we had a large group of the hardest-working volunteers, that was no joke. The citizens of Philadelphia removed 5,000 square feet of wisteria, helping to halt the advancement of the harmful plant...
To read the rest of this blog post and keep up with the Conservation in Action Tour, visit BlogSouthwest.com!
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