Volunteers pull six bins of invasive cattails from Echo Lake

Barbara Guthrie throws three clumps of invasive cattails into the green composting bin. The cattails grow in shallow parts of the lake. These are from the tiny beach in Echo Lake Park. Photo by Marla Tullio.

A small group of volunteers from the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association (ELNA) waded into Echo Lake on Saturday and pulled six bins worth of invasive cattails from the lake.

Getting rid of invasive cattails from Echo Lake Park is a long-term project of the neighborhood association. It can only be done at certain times of the year and volunteers need in-person orientation because there are two varieties of cattail - one native and one invasive.

The big work party in the park, normally held the day of the ELNA picnic on the third Tuesday in July, had to be cancelled this year because of the pandemic.

Six green compost bins full of cattails sit by the Interurban Trail in Echo Lake Park, waiting to be picked up. Four volunteers pulled cattails until the bins were full. Photo by Marla Tullio.

Also because of the pandemic, this work party was not advertised. Instead, Cattail Crew Leader Marla Tullio recruited a few people who have helped in the past and were available this Saturday.

Barbara Guthrie, Anne Guthrie, Matt and Marla Tullio spent a couple of hours and filled the six bins provided by the City.

Marla says that the cattails are very easy to pull, but they are stinky!

They enjoyed chatting with the people who stopped to see what they were doing and to talk about how much they love the park.