Team Members

Cassandra Krumm is a third-year psychology major and Business minor at Penn State Berks. Her hobbies include singing, painting, and reading.

Kandis Michael is a first-year student at Penn State Berks. Her hobbies include listening to music and playing with her dogs.

Gabriella Suarez Fernandez is a second-year Finance student at Penn State Berks. Her hobbies include listening to music, eating, and traveling.

Mary Elizondo is a second-year Psychology student at Penn State Berks. Her hobbies include taking nature walks, photography, and baking.

Our Service

We worked with Blue Marsh Lake to remove invasive species from the Squirrel Run nature trail. We removed Japanese barberry and multiflora rose from the trail. Both of these species are invasive in Pennsylvania and have put a strain on our natural ecology. Native plants are being killed and outcompeted by these invasive species.  There are many invasive species that can be found at Blue Marsh Lake, but Japanese barberry and multiflora rose are two of the most aggressive and plentiful species. We worked a total of 32 hours cumulatively and removed about 100 pounds of invasive plant material from the nature trail. We are happy to be able to present the service that we did and despite the difficulties of this project, we are proud of the work we accomplished.

Serice overview video

Link: Service Presentation EACAP Narrated.pptx – Google Slides

Our research

Our group decided to research invasive species to further expand our knowledge on this problem. We were already getting a glimpse into the destructive nature of invasive species at Blue Marsh Lake but we were interested to know more. We looked at many aspects of invasive species from how they are implemented into an environment to what can be done to decrease their impacts. Doing research on invasive species as a whole brought more understanding to the service we were doing at Blue Marsh Lake and why it was so important. We looked into many invasive species and how invasive species in general impact the ecosystem. Each invasive species that is present in an ecosystem can cause severe damage so when many invasive species are in one area the damage is substantial. Invasive species interact with the native species in an area often causing the downfall or threatening of native species. Our research allowed us to understand just how widespread an issue invasive species are. We are glad that we are able to present some of our research in order to bring awareness to other people about what they can do to minimize the effects of invasive species and hopefully encourage other people to take action.

Research Overview Video

Link: Invasive Species Presentation Narrated.pptx – Google Slides

Reflection

Throughout this experience we learned a lot about invasive species and the damage that they can cause in our ecosystem. Both Japanese Barberry and Multiflora Rose are aggressive and detrimental to local flora. They grow rapidly and can be extremely difficult to remove due to their complex root systems, thorns, and spikes. Working with the park rangers at Blue Marsh Lake was an informational and positive experience for us all. We all appreciated being able to make a difference in the local wilderness and protect the native species that reside at Blue Marsh Lake. Having a tangible way of measuring our accomplishments was extremely satisfying and helped us to recognize the work that we have accomplished. Although the work was not easy, we are very glad that we completed this project. We have a greater appreciation if volunteers in our community and we are more interested in other volunteer opportunities in the community.