Volunteer Voices - Bob Golobish

"My personal goal is to familiarize myself with at least 10 invasive plants, one Weed Wrangle at a time. There’s no rush — I just want steady progress." - Bob Golobish

In their own words: "Getting started as a volunteer was simple. Since I like being outdoors, I was looking out for opportunities to volunteer.  I first learned about the Fishers Park Steward Program through the local edition of Current newspaper, which mentioned the website volunteerfishers.com. I visited the site and signed up to be a Park Steward at Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve, my favorite park in Hamilton County.
 
A few days later, I met the city’s volunteer coordinator at the park who provided me with a safety vest, t-shirt, trash bags, gloves, and a green bucket. Later that month, I joined a project to refinish some picnic tables at the park, which gave me a chance to connect with other volunteers. During those conversations, I learned about HIP (Hamilton County Invasive Partnership) and its events called Weed Wrangles, that focus on controlling invasive plant species in our parks. Intrigued, I found the HIP website https://www.hcinvasives.org/ and signed up to receive emails.
 
So far, I’ve participated in two Weed Wrangles. The first was at Dillon Park, where we focused on removing bush honeysuckle. The organizers provided tools, including bypass clippers and folding saws, and conducted a quick training session. I had my own safety glasses. We learned how to identify the plant, use the tools safely, and follow basic safety guidelines.
 
My second Weed Wrangle took place at Central Park, where we removed seed heads from common teasel. Once again, there was a short training session covering plant identification, tool use, and safety precautions (seed heads are quite prickly!). Both experiences were rewarding, and I’m looking forward to participating in more Weed Wrangles, especially at Ritchey Woods."


Three Quick Questions:
Advice for someone getting started: After each Weed Wrangle, I spend time researching the invasive plants we worked on, such as bush honeysuckle and common teasel, to deepen my understanding. My personal goal is to familiarize myself with at least 10 invasive plants, one Weed Wrangle at a time. There’s no rush — I just want steady progress.

Favorite nature spot in Hamilton County: Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve (Fishers)

One word that describes your volunteer work:
Outdoors!


Feeling inspired? Join us in making a difference! Whether you're passionate about preserving our environment, giving back to the community, or just looking for some new friends, we’d love to have you on our team.  Fill out the interest form here or email our volunteer coordinator, [email protected].