Nishnabotna Valley REC chooses Shelby County Conservation for volunteer project

SHELBY COUNTY — Every year, the Nishnabotna Valley REC picks an organization in its service area and spends a day giving back to the communities.
 This year, they chose to work with Shelby County Conservation. On May 17, all 21 employees and three members from the board of directors showed up to help.  
During the work day, 50 trees were removed due to damage caused by emerald ash borer beetles. These beetles only attack ash trees, and since their discovery in 2002, they have been responsible for the death of hundreds of millions of trees in North America. According to the Emerald Ash Borer Network’s website, these beetles damage the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients.
Along with removing the trees impacted by the beetles, parking posts and cables were replaced. Volunteers also assisted with staining decks and picnic tables to refresh them before the summer starts.  
“I just have a couple of employees to help take care of the parks in the summer, and they saved us literally two summers’ worth of work because we couldn’t possibly do all that,” Director of Shelby County Conservation Nick Preston said.
Since 2019, the REC  has worked with the Prairie Rose State Park, where they helped work at the Shelby County and Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds. Last year, they helped Friends of Downtown decorate the courthouse square for Christmas.