HOUSTON -- Hundreds of Houston Independent School District students are getting their hands dirty in an effort to reverse the damage done by Hurricane Ike to Memorial Park, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.

Approximately 500 trees were wiped out by the storm that came ashore on Sept. 13, changing the landscape of the popular 1,500-acre park.

Last spring, thanks to an education grant, students removed invasive plants and planted 18 native Texas species. But the storm destroyed some of their hard work.

"It did bring a lot of the dead wood and dead branches, and a lot of that had to be cleared away," said Cathy Heindl, with the Memorial Park Conservancy.

Anyone who would like to volunteer to help clean up Memorial Park can find more information at www.memorialparkconservancy.org.