Olivette horticulturist outlines habitat restoration plan, seeks volunteers for Cottonwood Trail work

Brian, the horticulturist for the Olivette Parks and Recreation Department, used a recent "Talking with the Mayor" event to describe the city's habitat restoration work and to recruit volunteers for upcoming efforts.

"The goal is to improve the habitat quality, making it to where it can support more life," Brian said, summarizing the program's objective to restore sections of the city's parks toward native Missouri ecosystems including tallgrass prairie, oak‑hickory forest and riparian areas. He said the department focuses on practical, action‑oriented site work rather than lengthy formal planning.

The presentation outlined the restoration sequence: site selection, invasive removal, debris clearing, seeding and supplemental planting. Brian listed the most troublesome invasives in Olivette parks as honeysuckle, wintercreeper (creeping euonymus) and weedy white mulberry; he said staff remove large trees while volunteers known as Weed Warriors and other volunteers handle smaller removals. He also…