MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Volunteers from all of the state took part in Michigan State's Global Day Of Service over the weekend. Meridian Township hosted a service event at the Davis Foster Land Preserve.

Volunteers signed up to help fight an invasive species known as Autumn Olive. The invasive shrub is not native to the preserve and poses a threat to the restored native grass. Meridian Township Stewardship Coordinator and Park Naturalist Kelsey Dillon explained, "it is a very aggressive invasive, it can completely take over areas. So it is important we come back year after year, but today I think we can really win the fight against it.”

To remove Autumn Olive volunteers used tree loppers to trim them down while Dillon sprayed the remaining stumps with a certified herbicide to kill them at the root.

The native grass wasn't the only thing volunteers were there to help protect. Some recently planted pine trees fell victim to some hungry deer over the winter. Volunteers also placed some tree protective covers over the baby pines trees so that they can no longer be eaten while they grow up over the next few years.