Last month at Sope Creek, all eyes were on the long-anticipated opening of more trails to mountain bikers as changes in federal regulations went into effect on April 5. But while they came to ride, stroll, or hike, visitors might have noticed a government truck and trailer parked on the site, and maybe a few Park Service employees they didn't recognize. That was when the Southeast Coast Exotic Plant Management Team (SEC-EPMT) came to brush up on the work they did to eradicate kudzu at Sope Creek last year.
SEC-EPMT is a specialized group based out of Congaree National Park in South Carolina that travels around helping parks get rid of invasive plants. Led by Amorita Brackett, the four-person crew spent a week at Chattahoochee River working on the Sope Creek site. Their main objective was to ensure that the kudzu site they cleared last year does not get overrun with a different invasive species such as privet. They treate about six acres of privet using saws, loppers, and herbicide.