Clearing Boyer Nature Preserve. Alum Creek Park 75-Year-Old Tree Felled.
Each fall, Westerville residents and city crews gather at Boyer Nature Preserve to take on a familiar challenge: clearing out invasive plant species that threaten the park’s native ecosystem. On Saturday, volunteers rolled up their sleeves, laced their boots, and got to work cutting, pulling, and hauling away dense undergrowth that prohibits native plants from flourishing.
This year’s effort focused on removing honeysuckle, burning bush, and multiflora rose, non-native plants that spread aggressively and block sunlight that native trees and wildflowers need to survive. Without regular removal, these invaders quickly dominate the forest floor, reducing biodiversity and degrading the habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.
In several cleared portions of the park, all three invasives were seen attempting to regain control of the woods. All were removed from their groundings.
Volunteers use loppers and brute strength to pull deep-rooted plants from the soil, often wrestling with thick tangles of vines and brush. Some worked in pairs to dislodge massive honeysuckle root balls. Others dragged piles of branches across the leaf-strewn trails for disposal.
Boyer Nature Preserve, with its shaded trails and central pond, is one of Westerville’s ecological gems. The annual invasive species cleanup has become a tradition that blends conservation with community action, ensuring this natural area remains a thriving habitat for generations to come.
An ailing honey locust tree was felled last week at Alum Creek North along the rear parking lot. The rings indicate the tree was planted in the early 1950s, shortly after the park was dedicated in 1936. The amphitheater was added to the park in 2001.
The Green Grape Report
Food Review by Gary Gardiner
Kroger - Maxtown and Schrock
Brand – Kroger-branded clamshell
Price – $1.29 a pound
PLU Code – NA
The Review
Farm Price for Grapes Far Below the Store Shelf
When Westerville green grape shoppers buy a bag for $1.29 a pound at the Kroger on Maxtown Road, they are seeing the final link in a long chain that begins thousands of miles away in California vineyards. Those Kroger grapes sell for roughly twice what the farmer receives when they leave the field.
Recent market reports from the California Table Grape Commission and trade publications show shipping-point prices for white seedless grapes at about $23 to $27 per 19-pound container. That works out to $1.21 to $1.42 a pound as the fruit leaves the packing house. But that figure still includes handling, cooling, packaging, and freight to wholesale buyers. The grower’s return, known as the farm-gate price, is much lower.
University of California studies and state agriculture data indicate that large growers typically receive between 60 and 90 cents per pound for standard green seedless grapes, depending on quality, variety, and contract terms. Those figures reflect deductions for labor, packing fees, and the cost of moving the fruit to storage and transport facilities.
At retail, grocery chains add their own freight, refrigeration, spoilage loss, and operating costs before setting a shelf price. The $1.29 per pound at Kroger this week sits near the bottom of the recent national average for table grapes, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture placed closer to $1.70 per pound for green seedless varieties earlier this fall. In effect, the price on the scanner is little more than double what the grower receives after months of field labor, pruning, irrigation, pest control, and harvest costs.
California’s 2025 crop is expected to total about 95 million 19-pound boxes, up slightly from last year, according to the grape commission. Yet with production costs climbing faster than shipping-point prices, many growers are relying on volume to maintain profit. For shoppers in Westerville, that means a rare alignment between the supermarket price and the grower’s realities—low enough to seem like a bargain, but still a reminder of how much value is added between vine and checkout counter.
The Westerville News is a reader-supported publication by Gary Gardiner, a lifelong journalist who believes hyper-local reporting is the future of news. This publication focuses exclusively on Westerville—its local news, influence on Central Ohio, and how surrounding areas shape the community.
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