Volunteer Power Combats Invasive Plant Species in Lynchburg
By: Anna Eileen White / Photos Courtesy: Lynchburg Parks & Recreation
Honeysuckle’s sugary notes often signal its presence long before you can see it. But, despite its graceful appearance and aroma, its story is complex. Japanese honeysuckle and amur honeysuckle are both common in the Lynchburg area—too common, it turns out.
Neither species is native, and along with plants such as wineberry, autumn olive, bull thistle, and Japanese stiltgrass, they pose significant problems for native ecosystems. Considered invasive, they spread quickly, choking out native plants. The result: degraded soil health, altered wildlife habitats, and poor air and water quality.
Much like kudzu as it envelops hillsides and forests, the damage is not isolated or minimal, though it may be less visible if you’re unsure how to identify invasive species.
“You’re going to see them everywhere,” said Lynchburg Parks and Recreation Park Services Manager Howard Covey, explaining that invasive species are not a new problem in Lynchburg.
“It’s been an issue for a while. We’ve tried to address it as we were rebuilding, remodeling, or making park improvements, but obviously, resources and power are never going to be adequate through the city using just staff to control it.”
As the threat of invasive species grew over the years, so did efforts to combat the problem.
“We were bouncing around ideas on how we can get on top of this and we settled on building a sustainable volunteer corps, similar to the Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, or Tree Stewards,” said Covey.
In 2024, ReviveLYH was born, and is now galvanizing volunteers dedicated to tackling the issue.
Led by Public Works operations coordinator Jerry Whitmore, ReviveLYH is part of Lynchburg’s Department of Public Works Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives. It operates in conjunction with Explore Nature by Nurture, an LLC founded by Danielle Racke who is passionate about helping educators facilitate outdoor learning.
Though they’re currently concentrating efforts at Ivy Creek Park, ReviveLYH hopes to expand across the city as they build a sustainable infrastructure and recruit more volunteers.
“There was an issue with invasive species there when the park was built,” Covey said of the Park. “We chose that spot to begin with because it’s one of the newer parks in the system. It’s also designated as the Nature Park, and we felt it would be a good place to start because there were a lot of different types of invasives in there, so it would be a good training spot in order to teach people how to map and how to identify what’s invasive compared to what’s native.”
With over 100 volunteers stepping up since the program’s launch and 300 hours spent on pilot projects and education, the progress is tangible. A 0.6-acre hillside located on the northwest side of Clemmons Lake at Ivy Creek Park has seen the bulk of volunteer efforts. Overgrown with invasive amur honeysuckle, autumn olive, and oriental bittersweet, native plants on the hillside needed room to breathe. In fall 2025, 76 volunteers spent 211 hours removing invasive species and restoring the habitat there.
“We have already seen some native vegetation springing up where we have cleared autumn olive this fall, which is very promising,” shared Lynchburg Parks & Recreation volunteer coordinator Jamey Love. “Eventually, our goal is to net 2080+ volunteer hours a year to tackle the work at Ivy Creek Park, as well as some of the other invasive species in other parks.”
Covey says invasive plant management is an ongoing process. “It’s one of those things that will never be completely finished,” he explained. “That’s why we recruit people who have it as a passion.”
With volunteers hailing from local colleges, businesses, nature organizations, and more, coordinating the effort is a multi-step process. Volunteers first undergo training on herbicide application, plant identification, and vegetation removal. After training, they can participate in field workdays, serve in administrative roles, and help with vegetation mapping. As vegetation is documented in a geographic mapping system, volunteer groups will eventually operate with more independence, accessing the maps through an app to guide and track their work. Finally, when a field workday rolls around, everyone gets their hands dirty uprooting invasive species and cultivating native species as plants or seeds.
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“It doesn’t do any good to pull the invasives out unless we’re putting natives back in,” said Covey. “The invasives are notorious for spreading quickly and choking out a lot of the natives, and that’s why it’s really important to go back in there with those native plantings as soon as we can after getting rid of the invasives.”
Though hillsides, forests, and hedges across the city call for ReviveLYH’s attention, and new projects continue to sprout as they work, Covey is optimistic. “We’re making a lot of progress,” he shared. Enthusiasm is growing among outdoor-lovers who care about the environment or even want to learn about managing invasive species on their own property. “The responses have been overall positive,” Covey explained. “People are excited that we’re trying to put together this effort.”
As momentum spreads through word of mouth and social media, Jamey Love, Volunteer Coordinator for the Lynchburg Parks and Recreation, says they’re grateful for the support of past and present volunteers and welcome inquiries, “We are interested in working with all curious citizens,” she shared. “The more interest we receive, the more education we can offer, and the more we can do.”
