OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — In honor of Earth Day, the next generation is doing its part to help the planet.
A Shawnee Mission South High School environmental education class and the city of Overland Park teamed up to help clean an area around trails and creeks.
Rather than focusing primarily on trash, crews worked to eradicate an invasive species: honeysuckle. Blooming in the springtime, the green plants grow rapidly, smothering other natural flora.
To get rid of the honeysuckle, the class used pliers and axes to cut the root of the plant. Environmental education teacher PJ Born then used a poison of sorts to kill the plant at the root to prevent it from growing back.
"They’re not native and they kind of take over, so all you got is forest that has a bunch of really tall trees and bush honeysuckle, and it crowds out all the other native plants down below," Born said.
Part of the class includes tending to 28 acres next to the school, the Shawnee Mission Environmental Science Lab (SMESL).
"Shawnee Mission South has done a great job within their environmental education area, but our [area,] from this side of the trail, continues to push toward theirs," said Bryan Toben, deputy director of parks and recreation for the city of Overland Park. "So, by us clearing this out, it’ll help save some of the native species, as well as keep the environmental lab more clear and clean."
Overall, the clean-up provided a chance to learn about the importance of tending to one's community.
"Environmental protection, understanding the community that you live in, having an ownership in taking care of the things in and around the community you live in, it’s something that we kind of take for granted," Toben said.
Born says knowing that his students will be "around a lot longer" than he drives him to ensure they understand what is at stake to maintain a "great place to be in."
Through Born's teachings as well as clean-up events immersing students in the work, senior Logan Penny says the class made him realize he has a passion for environmental studies he hopes to pursue further.
"That’s really what it’s all about, just kind of protecting this area for everyone else, you know maybe for the next generation," Penny said. "We want everyone to be able to come out here and enjoy themselves. If everyone does their part, it makes a big difference."
