Huron Arbor Cluster Wins Cluster Cup!

For the second year in a row, the Huron Arbor Cluster has won the 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge’s Cluster Cup!  They crossed the finish line with 58,327 pounds of garlic mustard!

With a big push at the end, the West Michigan Cluster came in Second Place with 51,259 pounds of garlic mustard.  The Headwaters Cluster, with 36,740 pounds, just barely held on to Third Place while the Out-of-Cluster Area group rallied at the last minute finshing in Fourth with 35,575 pounds of garlic mustard.

The final tally in the Stewardship Network’s 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge was 243,216 pounds of collectively pulled and reported garlic mustard!!

Thank you to EVERYONE involved in the 2010 Challenge, our collective efforts, big and small, really made a difference in beloved natural areas across the Great Lakes and beyond!!

Check out more Cluster Standings here…

Week 11: Hold on to your Hats! We’re Over 100 Tons!

That’s right!  Collectively, we’ve pulled 208,509 lbs of garlic mustard! During week 11 of the Stewardship Network’s Garlic Mustard Challenge, the Southwest Corner Cluster reported nearly 10,000 lbs in just a few reports from only a handful of events- that’s a lot of pulling!!

To celebrate the end of the Challenge on July 9th, the Stewardship Network is hosting a 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge Celebration at Lake Lansing North Park.  Join us as we award the winning Cluster with the Cluster Cup, listen in on a few garlic mustard presentations, swap field stories, listen to live music performance from Juice, and eat lots of garlic mustard inspired dishes to pass (garlicky, mustardy, both, or actually made with garlic mustard plant!).  We really hope you’ll join us!  RSVP here

Check out Cluster Competition…

Week 10: Huron Arbor Cluster Takes Lead from West Michigan Cluster!

In week 10 of the 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge, the Huron Arbor Cluster has broke 50,000 lbs and stolen the lead from the West Michigan Cluster!  Also, the Headwaters Cluster is in solid at 3rd, with 29,990 lbs making it 3 Clusters now to be at or above 30,000 lbs!!  Collectively, we’ve pulled a staggering 190,540 lbs of garlic mustard!

There are still 3 more weeks left in the 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge, plenty of time to get those folks who have pulled and not yet reported to report for their Cluster!  Lots could still happen in the Cluster Competition in these last 3 weeks of the Challenge!

Mark your calendars!  We are going to celebrate the culmination of the Challenge and the awarding of the Cluster Cup on July 9th (time TBD) at Lake Lansing North Park in Haslett, Michigan (just east of East Lansing).  Share stories, pictures, food, listen to garlic mustard mangement presentations, music, and of course experience the awarding of the Cup.  Please bring a garlic mustard inspired dish to pass- garlicky, mustardy, or actually use the plant!   RSVP Today!

Check out the Cluster standings…

Week 9: Most garlic mustard pulled in 3 years of Challenge!

Collectively, we have pulled an insane amount of garlic mustard across the Great Lakes Region… 175,808 lbs of pulled and reported garlic mustard!

The Headwaters Cluster is slowly but surely making strides at catching the leaders of the pack with 28,205 lbs.  The Mid-Michigan Cluster this weekend pulled over 4,000 pounds during their own Mid-Michigan Cluster competition and the Lakeplain Cluster began submitting pounds from the Detroit area’s Rouge Rescue days.

We still have 4 more weeks left to go in the 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge!  Be sure to encourage anyone you know who has not yet reported garlic mustard to report for their Cluster.  Much of the pulling is over, but a lot can still happen in the Cluster Competition!

To pull or not to pull?
Like many of you may be realizing, there is little time left to pull garlic mustard.  Please be sure to use your best judgement in pulling garlic mustard- if your garlic mustard is exposed to a lot of sun, they are probably pretty dry and close to spreading seed and should be left alone.  If your garlic mustard is in a shady wet area, you most likely have a little while left to pull safely.  Ultimately, it’s up to you to make the right call! 

Check out the Cluster Competition…

Week 8: We’ve done it! Now let’s go the distance…

By George, I think we’ve done it!  As of Thursday, we have officially broken through our goal of 150,000 lbs of pulled and reported garlic mustard… 152,037 pounds! 

But why stop now?  We pulled 158,462 lbs in 2009- let’s see if we can break that and go the distance!  Like they say, “it ain’t over ’til it’s over…”  The 2010 Challenge officially runs until July 9th (we have to make sure people farther up north have a chance to participate!)

Eventhough the time is running out on how long people in southern areas of the Great Lakes region can pull garlic mustard, people can still report bags and pounds that they have pulled previously in the year.  Please be sure to encourage anyone you know who’s pulled and not reported to report!!  This is one way you can still help your Cluster fight for the Cup!

Speaking of the Cluster Cup… who’s in the lead?  The West Michigan Cluster is in the lead with an unprecedented 41,644 lbs… shattering the 2008 and 2009 winning Cluster totals!  Meanwhile, the Headwaters Cluster and Huron Arbor Cluster have been plugging away in 2nd and 3rd place, trying to stay with the leader of the pack.  The Mid-Michigan Cluster has pulled away from the Lakeplain Cluster and is now a solid 5,ooo lbs ahead– with another big pull going on this weekend!

Check out the standings below:

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Please consider a contribution through our spring fundraiser to support Stewardship Network programs like the 2010 Challenge!Join us and Donate today!

Week 7: Lead Cluster sets deep roots!

Week 7 sure has been an interesting one to watch unfold! All week reports have been flooding in from all over the Great Lakes region, helping us get just within reach of our 150,000 lb goal. I’d love to see us just smash right through that goal… currently, we are at 125,288 lbs of collectively pulled and reported garlic mustard!

As for the Cluster Competition, the West Michigan Cluster is going for shock and awe- setting some very deep roots in first position, a walloping 38,754 lbs! In addition to West Michigan’s stunning lead, all of the othe Clusters, including the Out-of-Cluster Area group, have put the pedal to the medal this week. The real question though, which Cluster is going to take on the challenge of rivaling the West Michigan Cluster?!

As you head off traveling and BBQing (and pulling garlic mustard, of course!) this Memorial Day Weekend, be sure check your shoes for stowaways when entering and leaving parks or other natural areas– garlic mustard seeds love to hitch-hike on sneakers!

Check out the standings…

Week 6: Competition heats up in middle of pack

In week 6, the Huron Arbor Cluster holds on to the lead with the West Michigan Cluster hanging close, right on its tail!  But it’s the in the middle of the pack where the competition is really heating up this week!  The Lakeplain Cluster and Mid-Michigan Cluster are virtually tied with 6,825 lbs and 6,630 lbs of garlic mustard respectively.  With so many garlic mustard plants on the verge of dispersing seeds, especially in the southern parts of the Great Lakes region, this weekend and next weekend are going to be key for pulling up those last pounds of garlic mustard for some folks.

Oh, and I’m sure you’re wondering what the total is so far! … 86,572 pounds of pulled and reported garlic mustard!

Happy pulling!

Week 5: Clusters pulling together to restore and protect natural areas

Rainy weather across much of the Great Lakes region this past week didn’t keep people from getting out and pulling garlic mustard!  Despite the less than ideal weather, our collective total still bolted to 65,647 pounds of pulled and reported garlic mustard! 

Lots of volunteer opportunities this weekend to get out pulling garlic mustard at beloved natural areas near you! Check out Searchable Event Calendar

Week 4: Huron Arbor Cluster takes staggering lead

In the fourth week of the Stewardship Network’s 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge, the Huron Arbor Cluster has a staggering lead with 11,509 pounds of pulled garlic mustard!  In second place is the West Michigan Cluster with an impressive 8,337 pounds, and the Headwaters Cluster in third place with 5,325 pounds.  Western Lake Erie Emerging Cluster (Monroe County, Michigan and Metro Toledo) and ThrEE County Cluster (Flint, Michigan area) are tied for last, both with ZERO pounds reported!! 

Collectively, across the Great Lakes Region, people have reported 40,688 pounds of pulled garlic mustard! 

Check out the Cluster Competition update below!

Week 3: Huge Surge in Pounds of Garlic Mustard

Cumulative Total: 22,361 lbs of pulled garlic mustard!

Things got interesting during Week 3 of the 2010 Garlic Mustard Challenge!

 The early spring helped bring in lots of pulled garlic mustard as did large volunteer efforts from across the Great Lakes Region.  The Out-of-Cluster Area, which had been firmly in the lead the last two weeks, was bulldozed by the West Michigan Cluster (4,887 lbs).  Tailing close in 2nd  is the 2009 Champ, the Huron Arbor Cluster (4,414 lbs) while one of the Emerging Clusters, the Northern Indiana Cluster (3,000 lbs), barely hangs on to 3rd place. 

With the early spring and so much garlic mustard in bloom, there’s no telling what next week will bring!!