HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, July 18, 2024) – Jeff Busscher walked the trail along the west side of the Big Pond at Farview Park in Laketown Township on Wednesday, July 17. He stopped to point at a small sprout – invasive autumn olive. That’s the problem, he said.
The president of Alpha Nurseries went to grab his saw and called for help from a nearby worker with a treatment that will keep that invasive from growing back again.
Busscher and a crew of nine other people – five with chainsaws and five with the chemical treatment in hand – cut through acres of autumn olive and multiflora rose at the 87-acre park.
Autumn olive was brought to the Unted States from Asia in the 1800s and planted widely in the 1950s for erosion control, according to The Nature Conservancy. Because it’s a fast-growing plant, autumn olive can push out native species.
This isn’t the first time Alpha Nurseries has donated its efforts to cut out invasives at the park. Last August, workers tackled the invasives, saying the nursery is part of the community and they want to help people enjoy the nature around them.
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Laketown Township is in solid financial condition, according to its recently completed audit.
Joshua Gabrielse, CPA and principal of Siegfried Crandall PC, presented the 2023-2024 fiscal year audit to the township board on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
The Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget does not anticipate significant changes in revenue sources.
A copy of the audit is available at laketowntwp.org, under “Boards & Commissions,” “Township Board” under “2024 Agenda & Minutes.”
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