An opportunity is coming up on Saturday to get rid of invasive species with the Dallas County Conservation Board.

According to Naturalist Mike Havlick, DCCB is holding a Volunteer Day at Voas Nature Area, 19286 Lexington Road, in Minburn from 9am-noon. He highlights that participants will be continuing to clear out an oak savanna, which began seven years ago. Havlick notes that a lot of non-native species have formed around oak trees, causing them to die. He says that the oak savanna is one of the most endangered habitats in the world with a small portion remaining in Iowa. Havlick mentions that he loves seeing people come and donate their time to help the planet.

“Volunteering creates a real sense of community, a real sense of purpose and service, and you walk home and you’re like ‘I got to help with that.’ Sometimes you go to bed and you wonder, ‘What did I do today to pay my rent here on planet Earth?’ Most people would say that ‘I don’t believe I did anything,’ well this is a way of going ‘I did something.’”

Havlick encourages families of all ages to join as it provides a good learning environment for everyone. Saturday’s Volunteer Day is open to the public for free.