Volunteers Beautify Nicolet!

Thanks to 20 volunteers (17 adult; 3 kids) and various business sponsors, the end of Nicolet Boulevard received a 3-hour beauty treatment. Before the project began, Neenah and Menasha were asked if the volunteers could complete the project with their support. Both cities supported the project and helped us by dropping off a load of compost, mulch, and pruners. Neenah and Menasha are working together to schedule the trimming of the two larger trees and Neenah will continue treatment of the ground sumac (Yeah, it's going to be WORK to remove the sumac completely).

The volunteers split into 3 teams and tackled different projects in the same area: replacing the woody rose bushes, removing the ground sumac under the trees, and trimming the south side of the boulevard. While the youngest of the three kids slept, the other two were busy asking the volunteers if they'd like water or Gatorade to keep them cool. To keep the volunteers energized, food and coffee was provided by Shellattes along with Gatorade G2 and cold water.

Team #1 was lead by Jerry Andrews from Landscape Associates. His team removed the overgrown rose bushes (very carefully!) Landscape Associates sponsored the new plants and helped the team refresh the garden with placement of the stones and plants. Where there were woody rose bushes are now young Strawberry Fields Hydrangeas, Reblooming Daylillies and Catmint.

Team #2 was lead by Mike Rass, a Menasha resident located close to Nicolet. His team worked on trimming bushes and removing dead growth along the south side of Nicolet. They stared with pruners until one of the team members brought out his personal chainsaw. They made quick work of the bushes!

Team #3 was lead by Jacy Park. The team had the "fun" task of removing the ground sumac under the tree and cutting down the honeysuckle bush (actually, we asked for help from Team #2 since they had a chainsaw; they obliged!) The team paired up. While one person held the ropey sumac threads, the other person cut them with clippers. Ground sumac tends to grow back; Neenah stated they will treat the new growths this fall to prevent them from maturing.

By 10:30am the teams were showing signs of finishing. We took a quick team picture (which you can see our team picture and progress pictures on our Facebook Page (CLICK HERE). In total, 42 lawn waste bags were filled - waste we couldn't fit int to the bags was placed in neat piles for the city.

If you haven't been down to the Nicolet water access lately, please take the time to check it out and thank your neighbors if they participated. With their help we've beautified a small part of Doty Island!