To learn more
Those who would like more information, or wish to volunteer for future work days, can contact Drews at 812-882-8210 or send an email to willem.drews@in.nacdnet.net.
Extensive work is now underway to restore pollinator plants to the French Commons, returning it to its former native glory.

But the process takes time, says Natural Resource Specialist Will Drews of Knox County Soil and Water Conservation District.

“We’ve been planning this for awhile and then got money from the city for some prairie pollinator mix for the area, but now we’re finally making progress,” he said.

Three local entities have been working together for several months to remove invasive plants from the the grounds, located near Second and Willow streets.

The Spirit of Vincennes Inc. — the nonprofit, organizational arm of the Rendezvous — had already been working for two years alongside the Knox County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area group to clear the area of harmful plants.

In December, city leaders said they wanted to chip in, too, offering financial support to purchase a large variety of native grass and wildflower seeds to be sewn once the area is cleared and ready.

“The biggest part of this, though, is to remove the undesirable vegetation first to prep for planting later,” Drews said, explaining that it’s a very labor intensive process, and more than one pass at it is required.

The overarching goal of the project is to remove vegetation that would be both historically inaccurate for the late 18th century and detrimental to other plant life on the grounds.

The biggest threat to much of the area, Drews said, is Johnsongrass — a course and tall growing bunchgrass native to the Mediterranean and one that can spread rapidly.

“It’s a nasty dude, and it has spread throughout the grounds,” he said. “We are underway with killing it off, and we’ve done some work to girdle large Siberian elm trees as well.”

Because of the extensive work to kill and remove invasive trees and grasses, Drews says sections of the French Commons will “look pretty rough for the next couple of months or so.”

After another round of treatment to kill invasive plants in late summer, the plan is to seed the native grasses and wildflowers this fall.

Come spring, the desired native prairie grasses and wildflowers will begin to grow.

“It’s a long process to make sure we get the invasives controlled so the seed has a good chance to succeed and grow well.

“But, people need to understand, it’s going to look like a dead patch — brown and crispy for awhile before it can become lush and green,” Drews said.

Though the land should return to its lush green next spring, the natural resource specialist and CISMA coordinator noted that it also takes two or three years before the wildflowers reach their full blooming potential and spread to fill the landscape.

“When people plant, they often want instant gratification, but something like this takes time,” Drews said, adding that patience for the process will be worth it in the end, both in terms of the beauty of 20 different species that will grow and the natural benefits the plants will produce.

In December George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Superintendent Frank Doughman said the project was “just one of those accidental starts.”

Doughman, a longtime member of the Spirit of Vincennes group, says in the past two years, interest and momentum in the collaborative effort has continued to build.

“A couple of years ago we wanted to start working with CISMA to look at invasive removals on the grounds, and some education-type work,” he had said.

Doughman contacted Drews to plan the best path forward, resulting in a land survey and a strategy to tackle the grounds.

Since then a number of volunteer groups and organizations have lended helping hands to clear part of the grounds of the invasive species. Students from Rivet, United Way volunteers, and local Boy Scouts have all chipped in.

It was, in large part, the efforts of so many local volunteers that caught the attention of city leaders.

Doughman said city councilman Marc McNeece took notice of what was happening and wanted to support the cause.

McNeece then highlighted the groups’ efforts to other members of council in December and secured $1,500 in city funds to be used for the purchase of native seeds and plants for the continuation of the project.

“The French Commons is city-owned property and is leased to the Spirit of Vincennes Group. They’ve done an amazing job with upkeep and in creating a very useful space for our community,” McNeece has said.
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