Volunteers needed to remove spotted knapweed

DNR-led event is July 12 at Saugatuck Dunes State Park.

Tyler Lidgard, left, natural resource steward with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, explains how to remove spotted knapweed to volunteers in a 2025 event at Saugatuck Dunes State Park, 6575 138th Ave. in Laketown Township.

EDITOR’S NOTE (JULY 11, 2026): THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED!

Volunteers are needed to help remove invasive species at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township on Sunday, July 12, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Natural Resource Steward Tyler Lidgard of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will lead volunteers to the park’s dry sand prairie to remove spotted knapweed.

Spotted knapweed is poisonous to other plants, creating barren areas where only knapweed grows, according to a state website. It is a threat to pastures and dry ecosystems including prairies and dunes. It can be a skin irritant.

“Spotted knapweed removal is an easy project, but we will be covering a lot of ground, so come prepared for a hike on uneven terrain and direct sunlight,” Lidgard said on the state’s volunteer page.

Dress for outdoor work. Wearing long pants, long-sleeved shirt, work boots, and have sun protection. Dress for the weather. Bring water and a snack.

Work gloves, eye protection, and hand tools are provided.

Meet at the main entrance of the park, 6575 138th Ave.

To register, click here.

If a workday is canceled due to inclement weather or any other reason, registered participants will receive an email notice at least two hours before the scheduled meeting time.

Youth under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who must sign a liability waiver for the minor. Organized youth group leaders may sign this waiver instead.

Volunteers will be walking off trail on uneven ground and bending over to cut and treat or pull invasive species. Expect to get dirty and to have potential exposure to poison ivy, poison sumac, ticks, mosquitos, and stinging insects.

For more information, contact Lidgard at lidgardt@michigan.gov or (517) 388-8517.

To read about other volunteer workdays at the state park, click here and here.

The 1,000-acre Saugatuck Dunes State Park includes hiking trails of varying difficulty through dunes to Lake Michigan with 2.5 miles of lake front. The park’s 300-acre Patty Birkholz Natural Area contains a coastal dune system and three endangered plant species.