Earth Action Heroes: Hyland Hills South takes on buckthorn

When Hyland Hills South Condo Association president Celeste McAllister saw Appletree Condo’s restoration project in the Briefing, she looked out on buckthorn in the back of their 54-unit building and brought it to the association’s landscape committee. Co-chairs Linda Rasmussen, Sandy Shultz and Barb Soine reached out to Bloomington Water Specialist Jack Distel for advice.

“Jack came out with a lot of information,” said Shultz, one of seven primary volunteers. “We applied for a Nine Mile Creek Watershed District grant last year but funds had already been used. We reapplied this year and have been approved.”

In phase one of the project in 2024, three hardworking volunteers and condo residents, Bob Moncur, Lynn Nelson and Jim Shultz, battled back the buckthorn on about a quarter acre of land. Native plants were also added to stabilize a retaining wall.

With the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District grant, work in 2025 will include ongoing buckthorn removal and suppression, and spreading a buckthorn replacement seed mix.

“This project takes a lot of collaborative work,” Shultz said. “But it will be worth it to see wildflowers and native plants replacing the buckthorn.”