Submitted photo Andrew Johnson, a Life Scout working on his Hornaday Award with Troop 32 of the Shenandoah Area Council, will help lead the second phase of a project helping to restore native plant species.

Chainsaws may be heard on Saturday, as the second phase of a project to restore native plant species to the area around the Mecklenburg Tobacco Warehouse by the boat ramp on Princess Street in Shepherdstown gets underway. This project is a joint effort of three groups- Pack Horse Ford Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), The Friends of the Riverfront and Boy Scouts of America Troop 32. These three groups have come together, with the approval of the Corporation of Shepherdstown, to clean out invasive and non-native species along the Tobacco Warehouse property.

Saturday is the day marked for removing the large stand of bamboo across Town Run from the warehouse building.

Helping lead this project is Andrew (Drew) Johnson, a Life Scout working on his Hornaday Award with Troop 32 of the Shenandoah Area Council. The Hornaday Award is the highest conservation award in scouting. It includes numerous merit badges and organizing six large projects in different areas of conservation. The bamboo removal and follow-up to ensure permanent eradication will serve as one of Drew’s Hornaday projects.

The bamboo removal will involve several workdays scattered through the year. For those wishing to help, please bring a cutting tool, good boots and long pants and sleeves (poison ivy), and come to the Tobacco Warehouse at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 31.