reed species
A $79,864 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will be used to help remove Phragmites australis, an invasive common reed plant, from 3.1 acres of land around the Great Pond freshwater wetland in Southold.
The award agreement with the foundation for the project, originally issued in 2022, was extended by the Southold Town Board on Feb. 4. The grant is in partnership with Suffolk County.
Phragmites plants have “been documented [to lower] water levels in some wetlands,” according to Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative. It can also alter water flow and clog drainage ditches, while simultaneously inhibiting fish and wildlife habitats. They may additionally provide visual obstruction for recreational purposes.
“They’re an invasive species … They displace native species which ecosystems rely on for the general health of that area — and different animal species, and different plant species rely on the native plants,” said Jenn Hartnagel, director of conservation advocacy for Group for the East End.
Phragmites is deemed a Tier 4 invasive species on Long Island by Long Island Invasive Species Management because it is widespread and abundant. Long-term management of the species is aimed at suppression of the population at this time. Any phragmites should be reported to the state Department of Environmental Conservation at [email protected].
“It’s hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube with these invasive species,” said Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski said. “But with phragmites … if you keep cutting them, they can’t withstand the way the growth pattern is — they can’t withstand cutting.”
Efforts to quell the growth of phragmites have been ongoing for more than a decade in Southold, as community organizations like North Fork Audubon Society, Group for the East End and Kenney’s/McCabe’s Beach Civic Association have pitched in to help.
As part of the project, the town will use the grant money to hire a hydro-raking service to remove the phragmites from around Great Pond. A hydro-rake is a mechanical rake operated from a floating barge that removes roots from the bottom of the water. No chemicals will be used to remove the phragmites.
Ms. Hartnagel said the hydro-rake will rake the phragmites out by the roots to remove the plants from the water. The phragmites will then be transported to another area where they will be dewatered. Then, the phragmites will be transported by the town’s highway department to a dump site that accepts and processes invasive plants.
“If you keep doing it, the phragmites will eventually just really weaken and the natural vegetation will grow through,” Mr. Krupski said.
Volunteers from Group for the East End and the civic association will help with hand cutting on land and replanting native species in the area, and will participate in both education and outreach about invasive and native plants, according to Ms. Hartnagel.