Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
Northeast Region
 
6 Plum Island Turnpike
Newburyport, Mass.
01950
(978) 465-5753

How to Help Stop Pepperweed

The success of the Great Marsh Pepperweed Eradication Project depends on volunteers. We are looking for volunteers to help pull, monitor, and map this invasive plant in Salisbury, Amesbury, Newburyport, Newbury, Rowley, Ipswich, Essex, and Seabrook, NH. Below is a description of the type of volunteer work needed.

Pulling : Many hands are needed to control pepperweed in the Great Marsh. Please sign up today to be a “Weed-Whacker”, and we will contact you about pulling events throughout June, July, and August. We will also conduct a brief on-site training prior to pulling events. For more information about pulling pepperweed, read our Tips for Pulling Pepperweed.

Monitoring : If you have a favorite marsh, why not adopt it to ensure that it is free of pepperweed and other invasives? Pick your favorite site or coordinate with project leaders to select the perfect site for you.

Mapping : Volunteers are also needed to map where pepperweed is currently growing in the Great Marsh. Knowing where the pepperweed is growing allows us to develop an effective control strategy for the Great Marsh and properly plan for control work in the summer. Volunteers will be trained to identify pepperweed during both summer and winter months and will be assigned an area to map.

Report Sightings : Be on the look out for pepperweed as you drive, hike, or kayak the Great Marsh. Please report any sightings on our form or record the following information:

  • Your name
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Location of pepperweed (nearest road intersection; GPS coordinates)
  • Extent of pepperweed (area; percent cover)
  • Access and parking concerns (e.g. in middle of marsh or on roadside)
  • Landowner (if known)

Return to Pepperweed Introduction
What is perennial pepperweed?
How to identify perennial pepperweed
Contact Us

This project is supported through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Challenge Cost Share program.

Last updated: January 31, 2012