Volunteer Spotlight - Bob Komula

​My wife Kelly and I live in Westfield near the Kroger on HWY 32 and Carey Road.  The first Weed Wrangle that I participated in was actually right behind the Kroger on the Midland Trace Trail.  That’s when I learned about invasive bush and amur honeysuckle.  It definitely changed the way that I look at the pedestrian/bike trails and the parks in Indy and its suburbs.  What used to look like a pleasant wall of green with white flowers in the spring, now seems more like the Kutzu of down south known as “the vine that ate the south”.  So, honeysuckle is the bush that is eating Indiana, driving out native plants and trees.

My interest in invasive plant removal probably started when we lived in Plymouth, Minnesota, a western suburb of Minneapolis.  When we moved into our new home in Plymouth, our cul-de-sac had been carved out of a mature wooded area.  We had giant red and white oak trees as well as a stand of shorter trees/bushes that had sharp thorns and produced black berries in the fall.  Turned out that these trees were buckthorn and like honeysuckle out compete native plants.  Thus began my mission to remove all buckthorn from my yard.  My neighbors gave me the nickname “Buckthorn Bob”.

My career in healthcare finance had us moving a few times: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and finally to Indiana.  When I retired about three years ago from Indiana University Health Plans, my time available for volunteer activities became more flexible.  It was then that I attended a couple more Weed Wrangles and met with Kim Gauen and Jacob Luken from Hamilton County Soil & Water and became more interested in helping out as a Park Steward.  The past couple of years I have been working with Shelly Brown from Westfield Green Together at Raymond Worth Park.  In addition, every Monday I try to join a group at Potter’s Bridge removing invasives.  I also have worked on removing invasives at MacGregor Park for Tim O’Hara, the new Park Manager for Washington Township.  There are numerous parks in Westfield, Carmel, Noblesville and Fishers that have significant honeysuckle, callery pear and other invasive infestations that need removal. 

​My career in finance was rewarding as you were a steward of company assets.  But being a Park Steward gives you a chance to enjoy the outdoors while helping to make our parks and common areas more vibrant and accessible.

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