First it was Rita blowing down trees, then along came Humberto, blowing down even more. With the canopy gone, invasive exotic Chinese privet has taken over. New trees and shrubs are needed to provide good habitat for birds, but the privet must come out first.

With help from the Malcolm Damuth Foundation, we hired professionals to clear several acres of privet in Boy Scout Woods and it looks well ... empty. The area has been replanted by volunteers with over 200 native trees and shrubs to provide better habitat for the birds that use the sanctuary.

Chinese privet does provide food and cover for birds, but it grows so rapidly that it out-competes native plants and forms a monoculture. For habitat to supply food for birds year round, there needs to be a variety of plants. As funding becomes available we plan to continue to restore habitat in our High Island sanctuaries.