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On Saturday, April 17, 70 U.S. Army soldiers with the 17th Fire Brigade stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will descend upon Stadium High School to help remove invasive plants from Stadium Bowl in preparation for the bowl’s 100th anniversary this year. The soldiers, led by Lt. William Walton, will cut and pull out invasive Scotch Broom, English Ivy and Himalayan blackberries from the hillside that lies above the Stadium football field and below the parking garage.
The soldiers will work from 8 a.m. to noon under the direction and with the assistance of Tacoma Public Schools Building and Grounds (B&G) staff. The work will be done on steep slopes and involve pulling out or cutting deeply rooted Scotch Broom and other plants that are choking out more desirable plants. The soldiers helping to remove the invasive plants are all volunteers and will donate their morning off to plant removal efforts. In recognition of their service to the school, the Stadium Booster Club will barbeque hamburgers and hotdogs to feed the soldiers before they head back to the joint base.
Stadium High School biology teacher Phil Hertzog is helping to coordinate the volunteer effort. Hertzog said, “The Tacoma Public Schools and Stadium community have really come together to support the soldiers’ volunteer efforts. The Booster Club, Building and Grounds staff, Laborers Union #252, administration and Lt. Walton have all been enthusiastic about the project. You should see a vast improvement in the appearance of the bowl when the soldiers complete their cleanup mission.”
The idea for the invasive plant removal project originated with Hertzog and his 10th-grade biology students. Last October, students set up small study plots on the hillside above the bowl and measured the ecological impact of invasive plants on Cotoneaster, a beneficial, soil stabilization plant. The students then spent one class period removing plant invaders from the study plots. They will go back this spring to measure the effectiveness of removal efforts.
The idea to involve the soldiers in the project came from B&G. Lt. Walton had contacted B&G about helping out Tacoma Public Schools. B&G gave Walton’s phone number to Hertzog as a possibility for volunteer help. “With the help of the soldiers, we will be able to expand our project from a few study plots to a significant portion of the bowl. We hope that removing the invasive plants will provide a long-lasting environmental benefit by protecting the soils on our steep hillside,” said Hertzog.
Removal of these invasive plants will help Cotoneaster, a small evergreen shrub with red berries, to thrive and help stabilize the hillside soils. In October 1981, a water main above the bowl broke and caused a landslide that covered the football field and portions of Schuster Parkway below the bowl. After the bowl was rebuilt, Cotoneaster was planted to help stabilize the soils and prevent further erosion of the hillside. Recently, the hillside has been taken over by invasive plant species that cover the Cotoneaster and limit the amount of sunlight reaching this beneficial plant. The soldiers’ volunteer efforts will help ensure that the Cotoneaster will continue to protect the hillside.