Milliken & Co. Volunteers Volunteers Tackle Trails at Croft State Park

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To view pictures published by the Spartanburg Herald Journal, click here. 

It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make sure our trails and parks look nice and stay usable, like at Croft State Park in Spartanburg County.

Today, volunteers are ditching their 9am-5pm jobs and heading outdoors to take on a big problem at that park.

70 volunteers from Milliken and Co. are hitting the trails and forests, volunteering their time to battle an invasive plant that starts small but can take over and kill other trees and plants.

Chip Ward from Milliken explained what they are doing: "We're going to be clearing elaeagnus which is an invasive species plant that has overgrown some of the trails and they want us to clear it out and move brush aside make the park safer for those using it."

Milliken teamed up with the local non-profit "Partners for Active Living" to organize the huge volunteer effort.  

They promote trails and park development in Spartanburg, and tell us, without all the extra hands, it would be much harder to get this important job done.

"It's a lot of work, it's a lot of work on the city, it's a lot of work on the county and it's a lot of manpower involved so they really come in and keep it nice and keep it pretty so we can enjoy the trails,” said Lindsey Graham with PALS.

Those at Milliken tell us, it's a way to connect with the community and leave a lasting mark on a popular park.

"We're fortunate in our lives to work for Milliken and we want to take the opportunity so we understand what it means to give back to the community."