Conservation Crew at La Crescent-Hokah Middle School Tackles Invasive Species

LA CRESCENT, MINN – Garlic mustard, exuberance and Middle School students are not words which often end up in the same sentence. In La Crescent, though, they come together thanks to the La Crescent-Hokah Middle School Conservation Crew led by science teacher Travis Lehrke.

These students gather most weeks to address invasive plant species, support wildlife and enjoy some outdoor adventures. Lehrke, who had been a baseball coach for 25 years, began the project on researching the impact of screen time and students’ disconnect from the natural world.

“This had been in the back of my mind for quite a while to start an outdoor education club. The whole idea for me in taking it on was to get kids off their phones and outside doing something beyond themselves, helping the school and the community.”

Lehrke and the Conservation Crew got outside for a hike in January, and used the time to scout for areas to place their bluebird houses. (Photo by Travis Lehrke)

With that in mind, he moved from coaching to launching a conservation-oriented group for students. To get started, Lehrke applied to Conservation Minnesota to participate in its Conservation Crew Youth Program. The program is a student-led extracurricular program for middle schoolers with a focus on service learning. It provides support for Lehrke through promotional materials, funds to cover supplies like tools and gloves, a stipend and t-shirts for the students.

According to BreAnna Bemboom, Public Engagement Director with Conservation Minnesota, the Conservation Crew program has grown to 54 schools statewide with more than 900 participating students in the 2025-2026 school year. Approximately half of the participating schools are in the metro area and half in greater Minnesota, and fifty-seven percent of the participating schools are Title 1 schools (a public school which receives supplement federal funding to support low-income students and close education gaps).

Students tackle invasive species

Lehrke and students hike down the bluff, carrying the garlic mustard they removed after a work day in Vetsch Park. (Photo by Betsy Knowles)

While the Conservation Crew program is designed for grades five through eight, the students in the La Crescent-Hokah program are primarily fifth and sixth graders. In their first year the Conservation Crew met most Tuesdays after school and undertook numerous projects, such as pulling garlic mustard in Vetsch Park, a city bluffland park.

The first day students pulled garlic mustard, they were full of questions and wondered if they would pull the right plants. On their second day, they were confident and the enthusiasm was palpable as they led the charge up the bluff, with someone in the lead yelling, “Find garlic mustard NOW!”

The daunting task of pulling these invasive plants did not impact their spirit at all. They are already planning for more pulling days next year.

It takes teamwork and coordination to tackle the spread of garlic mustard in woodlands, and it helps to do it with friends. (Photo by Betsy Knowles)

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources identifies Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) as an invasive species because it outcompetes native plant species by growing in thick patches. In addition, it produces chemicals that slow the growth of other plants. Hand picking plants by the roots can be an effective method of removal, but it is a labor-intensive, multi-year project. Volunteers from La Crescent have been addressing the spread of garlic mustard for several years, and the additional help of these conservation-minded students greatly expanded the effort this year.

Garlic mustard can grow in thick patches which outcompete native plant species. (Photo by Betsy Knowles)

The students learned why garlic mustard is invasive, how the seeds travel and why it must be bagged and left to decay so those seeds are not spread. Besides garlic mustard, the Crew has also tackled removing invasives like buckthorn and honeysuckle from school property.

Birds get the attention of the Conservation Crew

Finished bluebird houses are stacked and ready for installation this spring. (Photo by Travis Lehrke)

The Conservation Crew focused two additional projects this year on birds. This connects well with La Crescent’s designation as a Bird City by Audubon Minnesota. The first major project was the construction of bluebird houses, which they are installing on wooded school property and in the city bluffland parks. Besides learning construction techniques, the students considered habitat needs and scouted out appropriate locations for the houses. Birds also got a boost from a second project when students created bird feeders from recycled materials.

Lehrke has tried to strike a balance between participating in conservation projects and having some adventures in the forest, while learning outdoor survival skills and snowshoeing.

The adjacent woodland school property and La Crescent’s bluffland parks provide many spaces to explore and take in the natural world, and this creates opportunities to model and develop leadership skills.

Students practice survival skills to keep warm on a clear winter day. (Photo by Travis Lehrke)

Student Makayla Quade shared why she joined the Conservation Crew, “I decided to join it because I wanted to help the environment. I just think we need to help the environment because we are also ruining it at the same time. So just one step at a time always helps, even the small things like picking garlic mustard.”

Another Conservation Crew member, Pearl Dulek, agreed. “It’s simple things like picking up trash and stuff like that that helps.” And Dulek pointed out that it is more fun in a group. Belonging matters, as another student proudly shared that he was the fourth member of the Conservation Crew.

Lehrke is already considering piloting a summer program, and looking ahead to next year’s activities. He is hopeful that a partner program like the Conservation Crew can be started in the High School so that students can take what they learn beyond middle school.

Lehrke has been touched by the outpouring of support from community members and parents who say, “Thank goodness you’re taking my kid out in the woods.”

It affirms his hope that if kids spend more time outdoors, “seeing a butterfly, seeing a toad, a baby bird’s nest, finding trails in the woods and a deer bone – that’s going to help them long term to enjoy life.”