Transcript Slide 1

Patrolling and controlling Pepperweed:
Successes and challenges in the Great Marsh Region
Liz Duff Education Coordinator III
Mass Audubon’s Salt Marsh Science Project
What is Pepperweed?
• Lepidium latifolium
• Invasive species
• Flowers form June to
September
• Inhibits biodiversity by
“taking over” native
plant areas.
The Threats of Pepperweed
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Grows into dense, monoculture stands
Small root fragments can re-sprout
Salt tolerant
Invades range and pasture lands
www.ipane.org; Leslie J. Mehrhoff
Lepidium latifolium
• Native to Asia and
North Africa
• Introduced to California
in 1930’s via sugar beet
seed shipment
• Spreads rapidly by
rhizomes and seeds
2008
2006 Map
•Began seeing pepperweed sites we monitored in 2001.
•Scientists at UMASS Boston mapped sites in the region.
March 2005
•We did an initial roadside survey in Ipswich in 2006.
Where to look:
• Pepperweed seeds are transported by the tide, but the plant
itself cannot tolerate a lot of flooding.
• Start looking for it along road-sides that are near the edge of
flooding tides.
• When you find some along the road, look in the surrounding
area, particularly where the upland meets the marsh.
Waist-high dead stalks,
alternate branching
pattern. (Not Woody)
Photos by Liz Duff
Great Marsh Pepperweed
Control History
• In 2002 NBPT students in MA
SMS helped pull pepperweed
on the PRNWR
• In fall of 2004 members of the
NBPT GOMI team selected
pepperweed as their
Newburyport Gulf of Maine Institute Team Members
stewardship project.
• They began educating others
about this invasive.
• In 2006 The PRNWR, MAS
GOMI began recruiting
volunteers to pull pepperweed
69
in NBPT at High School
Volunteers
Assemblies.
in 2006!
Successful Teamwork!
Permitting,
Herbiciding,
Grant writing:
Sarah Janson
Locating, Educating and Eradicating :
NBPT GOMI & Liz Duff
Boat Mapping:
Peter Phippen &
John Halloran
Liz Duff
NBPT GOMI
Volunteers
Mentoring NBPT GOMI: John Halloran
Funding:
Fish and Wildlife Service,
GE
Susan Adamowicz
Mass Bays
CZM
Mapping, Planning, Coordinating: Liz Duff
Successful Outreach
NBPT GOMI team
educates others and
attracted additional
volunteers.
– Ipswich High School
– Essex Elementary
– Sparhawk High School
– Triton Regional Middle
School
Roadside signs raise awareness.
Ipswich Property owners are granting permission easily.
Methods of Removal: Hand Pulling
• Recruited volunteers
for work days
• Focused on removing
as much root as
possible
• Rendered “nonviable”
– Dried pepperweed in
sun for at least 7 days
– Sent to an incinerater
(making sure none
excaped.)
Newburyport Gulf of Maine Institute Team Members
Pepperweed Control cont.
• Spraying
Pre-Post Photos
JNR Ipswich 6/11/2010
Pre-pull
JNR Ipswich, Post
10/29/2010No pepperweed!
Pre and Post shots taken at many sites.
We are making Progress!
Strong Volunteer Support
Control Methods: Pulling and Herbicide
Mechanical treatment is labor intensive and we utilized a number of local
volunteers and school groups.
Lessons learned: This is a fun community service activity. Lots of schools are
volunteering. Some local citizens are willing to “adopt a site”.
Chemical treatment requires trained applicators and is weather dependent.
Herbicide application, however, is very effective very quickly.
Volunteers from the Clark School in Danvers
Adopt-a-site volunteer
Aldyth Innis
Bob with backpack sprayer at
Parker River NWR
Pepperweed Control Continues to GrowWith Additional Partners Involved.
130 sites sprayed, 101 sites pulled,18sites pull and spray, 10 sites CLEAR!
Treatment
264 sites treated in
2010. This is 2x sites
treated in 2009!
Increased capacity
through increased
volunteers – both
pulling and spraying.
Further increases in
2011.
Treatment multiple
years is necessary.
Large areas of the
Great Marsh free of
pepperweed!
Small Window of Opportunity for Treatment
Week #
Pepperweed
growing
Greenheads
Flowers
developing
Seeds
developing
Seeds
dropping
Pepperweed
Pulling/weed
whacking
Pulling
Recheck
Herbicide
Use: Non
Rainy Days
needed.
Extended
Herbicide use
May
1 2 3 4
x x x x
June
1 2
3
x x
x
x
x
x x
x
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4
x
1
x
July
2 3
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
4
1
August
2 3 4
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Must treat on dry days
x
x
x
Where is it?
• Invades riparian areas,
marshes, pastures,
agricultural fields, and
roadsides
• Only two sites found in
NH. None yet in Maine.
http://plants.usda.gov
Regional View
New Hampshire
8 Highway sites
treated in 2010
Along Mass Highways
Pulled in 2010
Great
Marsh
39% of sites
treated in 2010
Sprayed in 2008
Salem Sound
Boston Harbor
Many sites pulled over
past 4 years. Reduction
in coverage noted!
11 stands treated in 2010
Mass Highways Mapping and treatment 2010
Methods of Mapping: On Foot
Boy Scouts Essex, MA (2007)
Carry GPS units or paper maps to mark sites.
Starting from roadside points we walked the
upland edge and recorded presence of data on
data sheets.
Challenges: Method is thorough, but slow!
Franz Inglefinger, Trustees of
Reservations, mapping road
crossings (2006)
Where is pepperweed now?
Is it threatening agricultural land?
Successful Mapping By Boat:
• Easiest after plants have
blossomed/gone to seed.
•Bring Binoculars.
• Covered a lot of territory.
• Fun!
• Near complete mapping of
Great Marsh in 2009-2010
•Large areas of the
Great Marsh free of
pepperweed!
•Only one site found on
Cape Ann (Hodgkins
Cove)
•Merrimack River clear
in East Haverhill,
Merrimac, Groveland,
West Newbury.
•Few spots found in
Amesbury.
•North Salisbury still
clear.
Challenges of Mapping By Boat
– Some areas are not visible/accessible by boat.
Need to go back on foot or kayak to check these
areas.
– Some infested areas were not spotted.
– Some areas were false positives: need to double
check “maybes” on foot.
– Tide dependant.
•Look not only on the upland edge but
also along creek-banks.
•We found pepperweed along Salisbury
creek-banks (low salinity) and in Ipswich
in areas where there is a tidal restriction.
Challenges
Phragmites may block pepperweed
and slow its spread.
Phragmites control may open the
door to pepperweed spread.
Phragmites
Need to observed interaction of these
species and coordinate treatment.
Pepperweed
Challenges
Pepperweed Spread
•Assume spread rate of 200m/year in most salt marshes
•1 mile/year along fast moving waterways
200m/Year Rate
1 Mile/Year Rate (4 miles in 4 yrs)
Concern: Citizens may inadvertently
spread pepperweed to new areas.
Town Farm Road
5/19/2008
Pulling Pepperweed on
Town Farm Road in
Ipswich
Citizens collecting salt
marsh hay for mulch in
pepperweed infested area.
Plan
• Prevent the spread of pepperweed to clear
marsh.
• Reduce pepperweed in top priority sites.
• Map pepperweed more thoroughly and in
neighboring regions.
• Pull pepperweed at sites where landowners
do not want herbicide used
Organize mapping and treatment by creating
subregions, and prioritizing by subregion.
Thanks to our Funders…
Partners for Wildlife
Land Management Research &
Demonstration, USFWS
General Electric
Acknowledgements
Thanks to agencies, organizations and individuals who battled pepperweed in 2010
•Mass Audubon Liz Duff & Lou Wagner,
Corey Lynch, Kaileigh Thompson, Laura
Hallowell
•NH Coastal Program Kevin Lucey &
Morgan Eastman
•Salem Sound Coastwatch & Barbara
Warren
•Mass Highways & Tara Mitchell
•Eight Towns and the Bay & Peter
Phippen
•Ipswich High School
•Sparhawk High School
•Triton Regional High School
•FWS & Sarah Janson
•General Electric & Volunteer Staff
•Lanette Leka
•Dept. of Conservation & Recreation &
Heather Warchalowski
•Gulf of Maine Institute, NBPT Team &
John Halloran
•Boston Harbor Islands, NPS, Marc Albert
& Island Ambassadors
•Beth O’Conner & Ipswich volunteers
•Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito
Control and Wetland Management District
& Emily Sullivan
•Mike Basso
•Sandra Hamilton
•Sherri Malto
•Erin Loughlin