Invasives Strike Force
September Newsletter
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference to Continue Hosting Lower Hudson PRISM!We’re beyond excited to announce that the 2018-2022 contract for the Lower Hudson PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) has been, once again, awarded to the Trail Conference under the coordination of Dr. Linda Rohleder, our Director of Land Stewardship! We look forward to continuing the fight against invasive species and are confident that with the addition of the Terrestrial Invasive Species Project Manager and the Invasive Species Educator and Volunteer Coordinator that the program will be stronger than ever. Thank you for joining the fight with us! |
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Survey123 Superheroes!Irene Voce and Tom Hobbick Our program wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of all our volunteers, and these two are no exception. Even if you’re new to the program, you’re probably aware that the smart phone app is a brand-new addition for collecting your data; but did you know it was created entirely by volunteers? Irene and Tom dedicated countless hours over the last year developing the application for multiple projects, including the Blockbuster Survey and the Invasives Strike Force. They had a vision for a way to make stewardship and citizen science more accessible and we cannot praise them enough. Thank you, Irene and Tom! You are truly amazing! |
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Labor Day Weekend Warriors!Spend Time on the TrailsSeptember is the last month to get a good look at all of those invasives before the cold weather comes, so why not use Labor Day weekend to finish up your survey! We've received dozens of photos, terrific questions, and spectacular surveys so far; let's finish the season strong! Data Details
As always, please email us at invasives@nynjtc.org with any and all questions or plant ID photos! We're here to help. |
Canopus Lake, Fahnestock State Park
Appalachian Trail, Bear Mountain State Park |
Surveyor SpotlightBenjamin Binstock In his first year with the Invasives Strike Force, Invasive Plant Surveyor Benjamin Binstock has done an amazing job, recording over 200 occurences of Phase One species on a 2 mile trail segment in Allamuchy State Park and photographing the greatest offenders. Among the most widespread were:
Great job, Benjamin! We look forward to having you survey with us next season. |
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Autumn olive's shimmery leaves stand out from the crowd.
Seasonal Send-OffIt’s that time of year we have to regretfully say good bye to our summer intern. Allison “Aley” McKenna served as an intern with us through a SUNY-ESF program supported by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Aley worked on early detection species across the Lower Hudson, scouting reported locations, monitoring previously treated populations and removing invasive species at a few spots here and there. She helped scout the boundaries of the large infestation of sticky sage (Salvia glutinosa) in Dover, NY and visited all the scotch broom sites in Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks. She also spent some time removing linden viburnum at a large site in Harriman. We wish Aley success during her last year of college at SUNY-ESF and in her future career in the environmental field.
Our seasonal Invasives Strike Force Conservation Corps crew (Spencer, Matt, Danny, and Ryan) will also be ending their season September 18th. Come out and join them at their final volunteer work day on September 11th (see details below). |
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Giant hogweed removal
Program UpdatesThe Invasives Strike Force Crew has removed nearly 100,000 invasives this season, with targets on the backs of many more! The crew has been focusing on emerging invasives, removing populations of Salvia glutinosa, giant hogweed, and many more. Check out the Trail Conference blog post to read more about their season! Over the last two months, Alyssa Coleman with the Mile-a-Minute Project of the Hudson Valley has been monitoring mile-a-minute observations and surveying previous weevil release sites to determine new release locations. This method of biocontrol has proven effective in various capacities in several parks throughout the Lower Hudson Valley, such as Hudson Highlands State Park, Ward Pound Ridge, and Cranberry Mountain Multiple Use Area. Recently, we have received approval to start weevil release. We will receive 4000 weevils, 1000 per site. We plan to release in 4 different state parks, where weevils are needed for establishment. The first batch is scheduled to arrive on August 31st. We will do our first release at Mianus River Gorge, in Bedford, NY. We also plan to do releases in Stewart State Forest, Hudson Highlands State Park and other locations within the Lower Hudson Valley. If you spot mile-a-minute, feel free to contact Alyssa at MaMHudsonValley@gmail.com. *Correction: Weevils are not genetically modified. This was mentioned previosly in error.Our Invasive Plant Surveyors are on track to complete Phase 1 surveying of all the Trail Conference-maintained trails in New Jersey this season! We look forward to this milestone and are excited to continue the great work and do the same in New York. The Invasive Insect Trap Monitoring Program has concluded. Thank you to all of our volunteers who manned the Southern Pine Beetle traps throughout the Lower Hudson Valley! The Department of Environmental Conservation will use this data to help protect track the progression of this pesky pest in our region. Please return the bottles so we can have them for next year! You can mail them in, or drop them off and pick up your volunteer T-shirt. The American Natural Heritage Rare and Endangered Plant Monitoring Project is still going strong along the Appalachian Trail. We appreciate our monitors diligently searching for these rare natives that we need to protect! |
Dense blanket of mile-a-minute over a shrub |
Salvia glutinosa
Earthworms: Invasive?Rustle up some dirt in any local backyard and you’re so sure to see an earthworm that one would think they’re about as American as apple pie; but did you know that the earthworms in this region are actually invasive species? Originally hailing from Europe and Asia, they hitched a ride via the soil of non-native plants. Earthworms spread in much the same way that plants do: human missteps. Earthworms are dangerous because they deplete the naturally occurring leaf litter layer, and as in the case of the Michigan sugar maple trees featured in a recent article, this exposes the roots, drying out the trees. It doesn’t stop there; native wildflowers, birds, insects, and amphibians are also greatly affected. Much like the invasive plants we are trying to quell, the earthworm is an ecosystem degrader that should not be ignored. |
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Invasives Strike Force Trail CrewSeptember Invasives Removal WorktripsJoin us on any of the following dates in September, or email invasives@nynjtc.org to be added to the ISF Crew mailing list and never miss a trip!
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Join the Habitat Helpers!Friday, September 1st: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Sunday, September 24th: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Join us once a month to remove weeds and invasive plants and learn about some of the native plants in our habitat around the Trail Conference headquarters. Bring work gloves, and your favorite gardening tools if you have some. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and we can let you know of any changes of plans due to weather. If you'd like to receive monthly reminders, sign up here for the Habitat Helpers! |
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MORE TO EXPLORE
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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
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September 1: Native Plant Landscaping Workday (TC Headquarters, Mahwah, NJ) Invasives Removal-Pound Ridge (Henry Morgenthau Preserve, Pound Ridge, NY) |
September 11: Invasives Removal- Ramapo (Ramapo Mountain State Forest, Oakland, NJ) |
| September 2: Invasives Removal-Pound Ridge (Henry Morgenthau Preserve, Pound Ridge, NY) | September 24: Native Plant Landscaping Workday (TC Headquarters, Mahwah, NJ) |
