Invasive Plants - Early Detection

The text and information below is from an email I received from Laura Mattei to all volunteers of SVT. I thought it would be beneficial to share this information as any and all help is needed. Sadly, I cannot attend any of the training dates due to other volunteering obligations (Wildlife Care every Saturday for Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, MA). FYI, Laura Mattei is the Director of Stewardship for Sudbury Valley Trustees.

Framingham -  New England Wild Flower Society is seeking volunteers to help with the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord River Watershed Cooperative Invasive Species Management Association (CISMA)’s EARLY DETECTION INVASIVE PLANT SURVEYS.

The goal of the project is to develop a prioritized list of invasive plant populations for management by means of documentation, mapping, and control of early detection invasives plants that are just starting to enter the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord (SUASCO) River watershed area.

WE NEED YOUR HELP IN STOPPING THESE INVASIVE SPECIES BEFORE THEY BECOME WIDESPREAD AND UNCONTROLLABLE!

Volunteers receive one day of training in early detection invasive surveys, then are assigned to survey for the target species. The training sessions run from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., and include a powerpoint presentation on the early detection species with a discussion of their identification, habitats, impacts, and control.  The rest of the morning includes a discussion of survey and documentation methods, locations, use of GPS, and how/where to report findings.  The afternoon training is primarily in the field, doing practice surveys and documentation. CISMA plans to start controlling some of the populations within this field season.

After the training session, volunteers are assigned to specific sites in their hometowns (and further afield, if they prefer) to look for the invasive plant species listed below.  CISMA plans to survey in each of the watershed’s 36 towns.

To volunteer for the training and survey work, please contact Ted Elliman, Vegetation Management Coordinator for New England Wild Flower Society at telliman@newenglandwild.org, or by phone at 508-877-7630 x 3203. 

Four CISMA training dates have been set. Volunteers can choose any one of the sessions. They are: 

• Saturday, May 15 - Southborough Fire Station, 21 Main Street Southborough, 01772  Saturday, May 22 - Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, 73 Weir Hill Road, Sudbury 01776
• Sunday, May 23 - Bedford Town Hall, 10 Mudge Way, Bedford, 01730
• Saturday June 5 - Bolton Town Library, 738 Main Street, Bolton 01740

The eleven early detection species that are the targets of the CISMA survey, taken from the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group list, are:

• Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus)
• Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)
• Kudzu (Pureraria montana)
• Mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum)
• Reed mannagrass (Glyceria maxima)
• Tansy ragwort/ stinking willie (Senecio jacobaea)
• Brazilian waterweed (Egeria densa)
• Great yellowcress (Rorippa amphibia)
• Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)
• Parrot-feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)

This is an extremely important project for the 36 towns which comprise the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord River watershed area. It is most important that these invasive plants populations be documented, then removed to protect our native plant populations and their habitats.

All volunteers under 18 must have a permission form signed by a parent or guardian. Send us an email for a copy.