June 25, 2:30p
(WGTD)---An environmental group has been working hard to clean up Racine County’s Pritchard Park.
This past spring, the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network, or WIN for short, partnered with Racine County to remove truckloads of the invasive species Buckthorn and Honeysuckle from a seven-acre wooded section.
The result was an explosion of colorful, native plants, including the Prairie Trillium, or Blood Trillium. Outside experts who visited the park said they’ve never seen greater densities of the uncommon plant. "Their jaw dropped at how much Prairie Trillium has come back there," said “WIN” executive director Dave Giordano.
The group is now starting to focus on making improvements to a one-acre pond that’s located in the northeast corner of Pritchard. The work will consist of replacing the stones that ring the pond with tall grasses and natural vegetation, making the area less desirable for geese, and thereby improving water quality.
Restoring the area of Pritchard Park reserved for mother nature is a three-year-long project.
Pritchard also is home to a new acquatic center, and will soon host an athletic stadium.
WIN’s work is funded through a variety of grants. Pritchard is located north of Highway 11 and about a half-mile east of Regency Mall.
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