By Steven Durocher
Oct. 9, 2025
Oconee County residents are helping protect the local ecosystem this fall. Specifically, they are removing an invasive plant spreading along trails at Heritage Park, known as the Autumn Olive.
The Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission was established in 1985. Since then, under the direction of Cindy Pritchard, it has worked to raise citizen awareness about the need for individual environmental stewardship.
As a part of its mission, one of the commission’s volunteer projects is removing invasive plants from Heritage Park. Since 2021, residents have helped eliminate the Autumn Olive, also known as Elaeagnus umbellata.
Why It’s Newsworthy: The Autumn Olive’s prevalence has been affecting Georgia woodlands for the past 20 years. It takes up most of the available sunlight and soaks up significant amounts of water, leaving native plants with little nutrients to spare. The volunteer work done at Oconee’s Heritage Park is a small step towards restoring Georgia’s ecosystem.
“I love this project,” Pritchard said. “We have such a beautiful park. It’s part of my job to come out here, enjoy the trails, and make sure others can as well.”
The fast-growing Autumn Olive was originally introduced as an ornamental plant. However, it has spread aggressively across Georgia, choking out native vegetation and altering habitats.
“We were out here quite a bit, and this plant kept getting closer,” said local volunteer Jeanne Barsanti. “We could hardly get through the trail. It grows right next to the path and then takes over everything.”
Volunteers Step In
To fight the threat, Oconee County has turned to its residents. The county encourages volunteers to roll up their sleeves at Heritage Park and help remove the invasive plant. The Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission holds the event several times between August and February. Each event helps restore native plants that invasives often overtake.
Restoring Native Plants
“We’re looking to return the native plants like the River Cane,” Pritchard said. “It can’t grow when shaded out by invasives. Within two weeks of the first removal, we saw the River Cane shoot up because it could finally get what it needed.”
Workdays at Heritage Park
On workdays, volunteers begin searching for the Elaeagnus umbellata around 9 a.m. They usually stay until 1 p.m., scouring the hills in search of invasives. After pulling the plant, they spray an application to prevent it from returning.
“It’s been a very successful program,” Pritchard said.
Since 2021, volunteers have made significant progress. The plant once covered large areas of the park, but the effort has helped reverse its spread. Indeed, residents passionate about their ecosystem rushed to undo the damage.
“We can come out here again and it doesn’t inhibit us at all,” Barsanti said. “Cindy [Pritchard] took over and has done an amazing job.”
Call to Action
Looking ahead, the Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission continues to urge residents to sign up for a workday, free of charge. By helping, they can revive the local ecosystem and allow native plants to thrive again.
Steven Durocher is a third-year student majoring in journalism
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