Community resident and volunteer Cathy Levy has received the Volunteer of the Year Award from Keep Ohio Beautiful for her efforts to beautify Hilliard parkland.
Levy inspired a team of volunteers to adopt the Scioto Run Nature Trail as part of the City of Hilliard’s Adopt A Park Program. That program was designed to give community members an opportunity to get involved and make a difference in their community.
Levy started a special effort to eliminate invasive plants along the trail. The program, called “IBG: Invasives – Be Gone!”, includes 51 volunteers who have given more than 730 hours of their time since April 2018 to restore the trail by eliminating honeysuckle and garlic mustard, repairing ruts, spreading mulch, and planting and watering saplings.
The group also planted 367 seedlings and saplings of native trees and bushes in spring 2019 thanks for a donation from the City of Columbus. Volunteers also have collected trash and debris from the area.
“Cathy is motivated to continue the efforts to remove all 11.5 acres of honeysuckle from the park and inspire others to join her efforts,” said Recreation Supervisor Hayley Bush. “The nature trail is coming to life as the honeysuckle is removed, helping to sustain and invite native species to the area. Her efforts are truly inspiring and continue to make a difference.”
Keep Ohio Beautiful is a non-profit organization that works to empower Ohio communities to take greater responsibility for improving our local environment through litter prevention, beautification, community greening, waste reduction and recycling.
