IMA Workdays

Does getting a good workout while rehabilitating the environment sound good to you? Help remove specific, non-native invasive plants (e.g., English ivy, burning bush, Japanese and Amur honeysuckles) from parklands and restore the habitat by planting native species. Healthy volunteers 11-15 years old must be accompanied by a parent; 16+ year-olds may attend solo. If you would like to help but physically are unable to work in woodlands, please let us know; we need people to recruit for workdays.

Important points about workdays

• Royal Lake Park and the neighboring park system where we work has multiple entrances. Check the specific workday notification for the exact park entrance where we will meet. This information will be both posted on the IMA Workday Announcements page and included in workday notification e-mails.
• IMA workdays are a “go” rain or shine; delayed or canceled if there is lightning.
  Winter months are some of the best times to work outdoors—cool weather, no biting bugs, and evergreen targets are easily found, such as English ivy, Japanese holly, Chinese Pachysandra, periwinkle, and winter creeper. However workdays are canceled if the ground is frozen or too much snow covers the target species.
• If frozen precipitation is expected during a workday, an e-mail concerning cancellations will be sent to people who RSVP for that workday. You may also check the IMA Workday Announcements page. If the workday is on but you feel uncomfortable with the road conditions, use your best judgment and stay home.
• Arrive on time. Some of the work sites are far from the meeting spot and you will likely not find us once we leave to work. You may leave early if you cannot stay the whole time.
• If you are a student and need credit hours, you must arrive a little early or exactly on time to earn your full service hours.

What to bring

• Dress for the weather and working in woods.
  • VERY IMPORTANT: Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirt and sturdy boots. Regardless of the temperature, shorts or sandals are unacceptable at IMA work sites. Wear a wide brim hat. On chilly sessions, dress in layers and wear wool or other fabrics to stay dry.
  • Have a poncho in case of rain. Leave the umbrella at home.
• Bring comfortable, heavy leather work gloves. Gloves purchased from hardware stores are usually adequate. Out of all of the gloves we field tested to date, the best for both dexterity and thorn protection are Fence Mender’s Kevlar Work Gloves.
• Do not wear perfumes, colognes, or smelly aftershaves. These smells attract biting insects, which we want to keep away!
• All tools will be provided. To help reduce waste, you are encouraged to bring a reusable bottle for water.
• Buy a bottle of Tecnu and have it at home to wash off any poison ivy oils. It works great to remove the oils before a rash sets in. If the rash already erupts, use Tecnu Extreme.

Return to IMA Homepage.