GLENVILLE, WV – In late April, several Glenville State University Department of Land Resources students visited Canaan Valley Resort State Park for a volunteer opportunity. The opportunity was arranged by Tom Snyder, Glenville State’s Academic Laboratory Instructional Assistant, and the Superintendent of Canaan Valley State Park, Don McFarlan.

In addition to Snyder, the students who volunteered included Chloe Richardson, Mark Radcliff, and Lexi Pletcher. Richardson is in the Natural Resource Management Wildlife Management program while Radcliff and Pletcher are both in the Natural Resource Management Forest Technology program.

“At Canaan, we used the cut-stump method when removing invasive species. For example, an autumn olive would be cut at the base with a chainsaw and glyphosate would be applied to the sapwood on the face of the stump. This kills the root of the plant and prevents it from resprouting,” Pletcher explained.

Removing invasive species from the park helps native species establish in the area by removing competition for resources. Native species are beneficial to wildlife and the overall ecosystem, nonnative invasive species are not.

Pletcher added that the students hope to visit Canaan Valley again in the future for another volunteer opportunity.

For more information about the programs within the Department of Land Resources at Glenville State University, contact the Department of Land Resources at LandResources@glenville.edu or (304) 462-6370.