Alum students care for Battle Park

It might be raining but Battle Park needs a new bench — and the job can't be put off.

As rain starts to fall harder Stephen Keith and his group of volunteers and interns don't seem to notice. They're excited about the job they're doing so a little rain won't stop them from getting it done.

Keith UNC class of '94 is the Battle Park curator. He is in charge of maintaining all 93 acres of the park and the adjacent Forest Theatre.

But as the only full-time employee working in the park he relies on a group of student interns and dedicated volunteers to restore the park's trails" preserve its plant life and educate the community.

""We work on a very small budget"" Keith said. But the budget goes a long way with volunteers.""

Douglas Tilden" a Chapel Hill retiree" has been volunteering in Battle Park since 2004 — the year the University gave the North Carolina Botanical Garden the job of caring for the park. Tilden spends about 20 hours per week volunteering.

""I had the time and it certainly is a nice place to be"" Tilden said. Not too stressful.""

Tilden has become Keith's go-to man for stone work. He used stones dug up from the park to line portions of Battle Park's 2 miles of trails and to build a bench.

Currently" Keith and his devoted workforce are clearing new trails and removing non-native plants.

Plants from people's homes creep into the park and begin to grow" he said. Removing them has been Keith's project since he began working in Battle Park in 2004.

""We're right in the middle of Chapel Hill" so we're surrounded by neighborhoods" Keith said.

Keith relies on his regular group of volunteers and groups of students who come to his Saturday volunteer sessions to remove foreign plants, like English ivy. The goal is to remove any that weren't naturally growing in the park when it was founded in the late-1800s by then-UNC President Kemp Plummer Battle.

But Keith's work in Battle Park is about more than working in the dirt — it is also about educating people and getting students involved.

If you want to learn about gardening and you want to learn about plants" you should volunteer in a garden" said volunteer Jeff Prather, a Chapel Hill retiree.

Students can volunteer in Battle Park with Keith's regular Thursday morning group or at his monthly Saturday volunteer sessions.

Some enjoy volunteering so much that they become park interns.

Senior Steven Feingold began volunteering with the Botanical Garden as a sophomore. Now he is one of Keith's four paid interns.

I like to be out here just to get outside and get dirty and do some work" Feingold said.

You want it discovered" Prather said. But you don't want it discovered by too many people.""



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