November 4, 2023

The Rotary Club of Lee’s Summit recently removed Bush Honeysuckle from an area of the Carl L. Chinnery Nature Trail at Unity Village. Bush Honeysuckle is an invasive plant that is strangling native plants and trees. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation website, Bush Honeysuckle forms a thick understory that limits how much sunlight reaches the seedlings of native plants and thus inhibits the growth of new plants. It also competes with native plants for water and nutrients in the soil. Will Gibson, a member of the Rotary Club of Lee’s Summit, led the effort of Rotarians to cut and remove existing overgrowth in June and in October, the remaining bushes were cut again and the stumps treated to prevent their re-growth. Gibson educated Rotary Club members on how to apply the chemical treatment to the stumps and about the damage caused by Bush Honeysuckle in our region.

This project was funded by a grant through the Rotary Club International District 6040 grant program and matched by the Rotary Club of Lee’s Summit. Environment projects that benefit the community are within the focus areas for Rotary service and funding.