Volunteers Lend a Shovel to Keep Klode Natural

The following article was submitted by Whitefish Bay Garden Club President Nancy Sturino:

The sun shone fair, the lake's breezes blew cool. The soil conditions were perfect. And thistles by the thousands released their tenacious grip on the earth. Their 6"-9" ghostly white taproots and spiny leaves banished from Klode Park!

The Whitefish Bay Garden Club has volunteered to tend the western beds in Klode Park this summer in support of the Village's plan to reduce pesticide use.  Last Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., about 30 volunteers came for the first weed out of the summer.  

And it was fun!  Good cheer and conversations inspired some weeders to comment this was really an adult playdate in the park.  Neighbors caught up.  Friends shared new news.  Children helped out in between model airplanes and swing session.  

One weeder looked around and commented, "Are we trying to re-capture something from the past or is this just the way it should be?  Actually, I think this is how things should be.  You've got to give back, and this Village knows how." 

These beds are some of the most visible, and are also the ones most often played in by children.  As well, they are so close to the shore and directly west of the water intake for Whitefish Bay and Fox Point; it's hard to imagine runoff from Klode wouldn't make its way into our drinking water system. So, ensuring these beds have no potentially harmful chemicals is just a smart cause to support.  

We're hoping to continue to have strong support from the community throughout the summer. Weedouts will occur every two weeks with small groups of four to keep regrowth in good control. Volunteers are invited to form a group and work with the assistance of a Garden Club member.
As well, we're experimenting in two areas. Along the west-southwest section of the tennis court beds, we're using Whitney Farms as a spray only on thistles and dandelions in the beds, for the second year. This organic product is based on chelated iron. Last year this area had the most dense thistle growth.  This year it was among the least dense areas.  

Our second experimental area is along the southern section of the tennis court bed. After weeding, we removed the mulch from the beds, layered newspaper 4-5 pages thick, and then replaced the mulch.  This helps deprive would be weeds of light.

The Whitefish Bay Garden Club would like to thank all those residents who came out to support our efforts to keep Klode park pesticide/ herbicide free. Any resident may help us in our future endeavors with Klode Park.