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Tim Engelhardt, the Huron Pines AmeriCorps Invasive Species Coordinator, is building a great Invasive Species Program along with Huron Pines staff and partners. The program will focus first on coastal Lake Huron invasives in Northeast Michigan, specifically phragmites, buckthorn, and purple loosestrife. All of these colonize wet areas and roadsides and choke out native plants and wildlife habitat. The goal of Tim’s service is to set up a protocol for inventory, monitoring and removal of these species before they become a widespread problem.
With input from partners like The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, USDA Forest Service and Michigan SeaGrant, Tim created a Cooperative Weed Management Agreement to give an official structure and geographic area to the program and to aid funding efforts.
The Campaign to End Phragmites
 Because invasive species spread from areas of greater concentration into areas of lower concentration, it is important to stop them close to their source.
As part of the overall invasive species program, Huron Pines is addressing phragmites because it is quickly moving up into Iosco and Alcona counties from the Saginaw Bay area. It has already choked out native vegetation and covered the beaches in the Saginaw Bay area, making it difficult for swimmers and fishermen to access the water and tough for wildlife to find food and habitat.
Volunteer days to help local groups identify and remove phragmites have been scheduled for July 22 and August 15, and local Conservation District staff will be looking for landowners willing to have their land used as part of an invasive species removal project.
If you’re interested or know of a place where phragmites is a problem, contact Tim at (989) 344-0753 ext. 14 or Tim@huronpines.org. |
