By Aileen Petrozzi

On April 26th the Phrag Fighters were at Bryerswood Optimist Youth Camp to celebrate Earth Day on behalf of the Club. We had a booth set up but unfortunately due to the terrible cold weather it wasn’t very busy. Despite the weather, Bernard, Janice, Heather and I still got to work and cleaned up the Phragmites that was sprayed last fall. It was short work with Bernard using our Stihl hedge cutters for the first time. Our equipment used was purchased from grants received from the Ontario Invasive Control fund- Green Shovels and ECFNC matching the fund.

We found last spring that the phragmites was so thick on the land around the pond that we couldn’t cut it or dig it out, so we recommended it be sprayed last fall by Ontario Invasive Species Center. This was the second time the lovely pond was sprayed to treat the invasive phragmites. The Phrag Fighters have been going to Bryerswood for around 5 years now and each time we go back I am surprised how the pond look

Bryerswood Optimist Youth Camp is not-for-profit, charitable organization, providing opportunities to learn life skills, outdoor camping skills and environmental stewardship.(https://bryerswood.com/about-us/) The pond gives the youth an opportunity to experience nature where many of them have not.

In June we will be meeting with Karen Alexander, the City of Windsor Naturalist, to develop a plan/dates to continue our efforts within Blue Heron Park and the Ojibway Prairie Complex.  I will have dates for all the volunteers to sign up the end of June.

Here’s a question: Why are we so worried about Phragmites???

Invasive Phragmites is an aggressive plant that spreads quickly and outcompetes native species for water and nutrients. It releases toxins from its roots into the soil to hinder the growth of and kill surrounding plants. While it prefers areas of standing water, its roots can grow to extreme lengths, allowing it to survive in relatively dry areas.

  • crowds out native vegetation, thus resulting in decreased plant biodiversity
  • generally provides poor habitat and food supplies for wildlife, including several Species at Risk
  •  grows very quickly thereby causing lower water levels as water is transpired faster than it would be with native vegetation
  •  increases fire hazards as stands are composed of a high percentage of dead stalks
  • can affect agriculture, cause road safety hazard and impact recreational activities such as swimming, boating and angling.

(https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Phragmites-MNR-1.pdf)

If you want to be on our volunteer list please let me know.  Even if you can’t volunteer, come out and support the work our club and volunteers are doing. 

Thanks everyone,
Aileen Petrozzi and Heather Inkster