The Camas Ivy League is a volunteer organization led by Cassi Marshall and Rick Marshall that saves thousands of trees from invasive ivy wrapping itself around the tree bark. This organization started when the Marshalls realized how much of a problem the invasive ivy really was.
“Something should be done. The ivy is really taking over,” Rick Marshall said.
They even realized that the ivy could harm other life sources around the trees they are invading.
“The light is so impacted and then we don’t get our natives that grow underneath,” Cassi Marshall said.
They pitched their idea to the parks commission which then led to the Camas Parks Foundation sponsoring them with their first set of tools. Since then, this volunteer group has moved around saving many trees at various locations. They have worked at Fallen Leaf Lake, Lacamas Creek, Mill Ditch Trail, the north shore of Lacamas Lake, etc.
They gather in volunteer groups once every month at these various locations. These dates, times and locations are found on their website.
https://www.camasparksfoundation.org/ivy-league
“We have had 125 people at some of our largest events. We’ve had multiple church groups as well,” Cassi Marshall said.
Many of the people who volunteer tend to feel very gratified. Camas High School Junior Nabeeha Ahmed left with a very positive attitude.
“I thought it was nice volunteering here. When you remove the ivy, you can actually see its roots being pulled out of the tree and you can easily see the difference you’re making,” Ahmed said. “It was also nice to just be outside as it felt very peaceful.”
Each person who volunteers at one of these events needs to know the proper way to remove the invasive ivy from the trees.
“We cut with loppers or saws. You want to cut eye level. Make sure you’re not cutting into the tree at all. Then pry the ivy vines. If you can, pull them down,” Rick Marshall said. “It’s a lot of work but if you can get the actual roots out a foot or two from the base of the tree all the way around, that keeps it from sprouting right back up.”
If the volunteers can complete the ivy pulling with these instructions, it can give the tree an extra 10 years of life.
“It’s gonna take a little bit of effort to save our green spaces so I hope people will pay attention, get involved and advocate for that because we’re gonna have to try a little bit harder.” Cassi Marshall said.
In order to continue saving green space, the organization hopes to inspire younger generations so that they can be a positive influence on the future of the environment.
