Invasives on the Run

Inspecting invasive salt cedar

Credit: Steve Hillebrand

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation recently awarded 24 new grants to help local communities control infestations of invasive or noxious weeds. At least five national wildlife refuges will benefit.

The foundation’s 2011 Pulling Together Initiative is providing grants to support work at the following refuges:

• Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, NV – The refuge and Nevada Conservation Corps Restoration crews will manually and chemically treat several invasive plants and plant native species to help restore the Upper Carson Slough. Targeted species include salt cedar, Russian knapweed, Malta starthistle, and hoary cress. Native vegetation will result in a greater diversity of plans and provide more valuable, higher quality wildlife habitat. The return to native vegetation will also restore natural fire processes.

 

• Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, WA – Partners will develop a citizen science-based weed mapping program. Twenty volunteers will be recruited and trained to assist with early detection of invasive species. The grant will also fund technical assistance to landowners to control invasive species on more than 1,000 acres near the refuge.

 

• Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, TX – Friends of the Wildlife Corridor will work with the refuge to halt a recent salt cedar invasion on 6,500 acres of private and protected land.  The project will build support among private landowners by organizing workshops on invasive species treatment and monitoring.  By 2021, the project leaders expect to reduce the salt cedar invasion from 25 to 1 percent and increase native trees from 50 to 70 percent. Grant funds will also be used to educate teachers, students and other members of the community.

 

• Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge, MA – Six partner organizations will reduce invasives at five sites in the Sudbury Assabet Concord Watershed. The goal is to reduce by half the percentage of land covered by invasives and restore meadow, shrubland and pine barrens habitat.

 

• Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, MD – Invasive plant species will be replaced with fast-growing native hardwood on three acres. This will reduce pressure on local wildlife, improve water quality and increase animal diversity.

Online training for volunteers interested in lending a hand