Feb. 4, 2010
GAINESVILLE, FL.—
More than 1,200 volunteers will try to eradicate an invasive species in Gainesville on Saturday.
The City of Gainesville Nature Operations Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs is hosting the 11th Annual Great Air Potato Roundup from 9 to 11 a.m.
Air potatoes are non-native vines that engulf native vegetation. The vines produce aerial tubers that look similar to a potato. These tubers fall to the ground and produce more vines, according to Morningside Nature Center’s marketing technician, Ludovica Weaver.
Morningside Nature Center is part of the City of Gainesville Nature Operations Division.
Since the first roundup, volunteers have removed more than 152,937 pounds of tubers from the area, Weaver said.
Volunteers will be dispersed throughout Gainesville to pick air potatoes and collect other varieties of exotic plants that threaten biodiversity in the area, according to Weaver.
She said volunteers will be assigned to about 27 sites throughout the city, including schools, nature parks and neighborhoods.
Site leaders will give volunteers an overview of the air potato and tips on how to find and identify them. They will also educate volunteers on the invasive nature of the tuber.
The roundup will end with a celebration festival at Citizens Park, 1100 NE 14th St., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be food, music, T-shirts and prizes for the volunteers.
Weaver said it is a good time to collect the tubers because the cold winter air kills the vines, making air potato collection a shorter process.
After the event, the air potatoes will be collected by Morningside Nature Center staff and sent to a landfill. They will be separated from waste and recyclables so that the tubers won’t sprout again, Weaver said.
She thinks limiting the amount of air potatoes is extremely important because the plant is so aggressive.
Eradicating the plant is also important because it helps to preserve the beauty of Gainesville, she said.
Weaver encourages citizens to research the invasive species and learn about what they can do to make a difference in their own community.
City of Gainesville Nature Operation Division’s recreation leader, Hollie Greer, thinks there will be many more roundups in the future.
“We are going to keep doing it until there are no more air potatoes here,” she said. “But there is no end in sight.”
She thinks raising awareness of the threats of invasive plants is one of the most important aspects of the roundup and views the event as an education opportunity for the community.
The roundup is sponsored by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, Payne’s Prairie Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and other local businesses and organizations.
Though volunteer registration is closed for 2010, those interested can sign up in December for next year’s event.
