By Karen Alexander
The European Common Reed (Phragmites australis) (a.k.a. Phragmites) is a familiar site to members of the Essex County Field Naturalists Club. Once you know what Phragmites is, it is impossible to ‘unsee’ the landscape-level infestation occurring in Essex County. Phragmites is a significant threat to biodiversity, second only to habitat loss.
Club President, Karen Alexander, gave a talk on Phragmites at the August speaker series. If you missed it, you could watch the recording on the ECFNC YouTube account. Shortly after, Club member Heather Inksetter inquired about manual control methods for Essex County after learning from her brother that they are working in the Saugeen area of Ontario. Her thinking: why not here?
At the August 29, 2021 meeting, the ECFNC Board of Directors approved the creation of a Phragmites Committee. The specific activities of the Phragmites Committee are under development and all membership is invited to participate. Initial thoughts include:
- Provide information about manual control methods, including access to recommended hand-tools, that are working elsewhere and can be easily implemented by membership in Essex.
- Host demonstration events at local nature reserves to teach manual control methods while stewarding Essex County natural heritage.
- Offer a volunteer stewardship service for landowners and organizations battling large infestations in the County.
- Work with the ECFNC Grant Committee to fundraise dollars to support control programs in Essex.
The first meeting will be September 21 at 7 pm over Zoom. The meeting will be focused on developing the Terms of Reference including a Volunteer Management Strategy to provide health and safety measures and guidelines for both volunteers interested in stewardship work and landowners interested in working with the Club to manage Phragmites.
Interested members should contact Karen Alexander () and/or Aileen Petrozzi () for more information.
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