The Hyland Hills South Condominium Association has embarked on an environmental initiative to combat invasive buckthorn at their 54-unit complex, getting a leg up with a grant from the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District. Celeste McAllister, the association president, was reportedly inspired by a neighboring community's restoration work and decided to address the buckthorn behind Hyland Hills South.
Landscape committee co-chairs Linda Rasmussen, Sandy Shultz, and Barb Soine consulted Bloomington Water Specialist Jack Distel for guidance. "Jack came out with a lot of information," Shultz said, as mentioned in a Bloomington city publication. After an unsuccessful grant application last year, the association’s persistence paid off with an approval this year.
In the initial phase of the project in 2024, three resident volunteers, Bob Moncur, Lynn Nelson, and Jim Shultz, tackled the buckthorn on approximately a quarter-acre of land, reshaping the area's ecology by also planting native species to support a retaining wall. This blend of human effort and natural integration exemplifies local engagement with the endemic landscape.
With the watershed district grant in hand, the work in 2025 is set to include more intensive buckthorn removal as well as the dispersal of a seed mix that will encourage the growth of local flora in places once dominated by the invasive plants. "This project takes a lot of collaborative work," Shultz said in a statement, as shared in the same Bloomington briefing. "But it will be worth it to see wildflowers and native plants replacing the buckthorn."
The commitment from the Hyland Hills South community reflects a rising acknowledgment of the importance of native plant restoration in urban and suburban settings. Their continued efforts, backed by grants, offer a blueprint for other homeowner associations looking to rejuvenate natural habitats and combat invasive species.
