wofford es

Last week I attended the Spartanburg Kudzu Coalition's "Kudzu Kollege."

Newt Hardy, the coalition's founder and one of the organization's directors, has been after me for years to "get my degree" in advanced kudzu removal, and it finally worked out.

The Kudzu Coalition is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001. It's run exclusively by volunteers. You can see their white "kudzu control site" signs all over town.

They're dedicated to the removal of kudzu, and what makes them unique is that they invent and modify methods that do not involve chemical applications. They also have a passion for getting local students involved.

They've even explored ways of using heavy machinery and farm equipment for reining in imposing tracts of kudzu, including the modification of a small tractor, renamed "Kudzilla," complete with red reptilian comb. You might call the brainstorming breakfasts the group has every Monday morning, "the Center for Advanced Kudzu Studies."