Audubon Community Nature Center could use your help on Saturday morning, July 13, for its annual summer attack on the invasive European Water Chestnut. Your reward will be a lot of fun and a great sense of accomplishment, like these volunteers experienced at an earlier pull.

JAMESTOWN – Your help would be appreciated at Audubon Community Nature Center’s annual battle to clear Big Pond of the European Water Chestnut.

On Saturday, July 13, 9 a.m. to noon, Audubon needs volunteers to help pull this aquatic invasive plant that reduces sunlight and nutrients for other plants as it spreads invasively across the water.

Each year for more than a decade, dedicated staff and volunteers pull the plants to keep the population under control. Three hours of your time will make a huge difference in the problem.

Your reward will be a lot of fun and a great sense of accomplishment by helping to protect this incredibly diverse ecosystem.

Volunteers must be at least 13 years of age and those up to age 17 must be supervised by an attending adult.

This task requires being in the water wearing waders, so please plan accordingly. Volunteers should plan to bring their own hats, heavy socks, waders (if you have them available), life jackets, sunscreen, and bug spray. Audubon has some waders to borrow; call (716) 569-2345 to reserve.

Registering ahead of time helps with the planning. Call (716) 569-2345 or click through “Programs and Events” at AudubonCNC.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Volunteers are invited to visit the Nature Center building for free afterwards.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. You can visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, enjoy the native tree arboretum, gardens, picnic area, and hike over five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1-4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.

To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC.org. Check out AudubonCNC.org/about for a quick fly-by visit.

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.