"Give a foothold, it will explode again," Ward said. "So due to COVID-19 we were delayed in our efforts to come back and rework this section. You can see how the growth just exploded."
As part of its grant, Rivers- Edge West will also help Palisade plant native vegetation in the area.
It has already planted several cottonwood trees in the bank it had previously cleared. In addition to cottonwoods, Ward said it will plant willows and native grasses.
The town also has a new wood chipper it was able to purchase with grant funds, which will allow it to reuse the wood chips elsewhere in its parks. This will keep the town from having to dispose of the plant material in a less useful way, Ward said.
"Instead of us having to send this to the landfill or burn it, we can now chip it, and then we can create mulch that we can use to augment some of our soils on the badlands, if you will, out in the disc golf area," Ward said. "If citizens want some of this mulch, we can make it available to them as well."
Ward praised the work of the Conservation Corps, as well as the town's partnership with RiversEdge West. He said the town would not have the resources to do this mitigation work without their help.
Rica Fulton, restoration coordinator with RiversEdge West, echoed those comments in a statement about the project.
"The ongoing restoration work at Riverbend Park in Palisade illuminates the importance of collaborating to effectively restore riverside areas, share resources and complete various stages of restoration simultaneously," Fulton said. "The Town of Palisade continues to be an amazing steward of the riverside area and puts resources and thoughtful management towards Riverbend Park."
mission is to advance the restoration of riparian lands through collaboration, education, and technical assistance.