Great Lakes Phragmites...
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Great Lakes Great Lakes Phragmites Phragmites Collaborative: Collaborative: An Introduction An Introduction Heather Braun Heather Braun Great Lakes Commission Great Lakes Commission Kurt Kowalski Kurt Kowalski USGS USGS – – Great Lakes Science Great Lakes Science Center Center
Transcript of Great Lakes Phragmites...
Great Lakes Great Lakes PhragmitesPhragmites
Collaborative:Collaborative:An IntroductionAn Introduction
Heather Braun Heather Braun Great Lakes CommissionGreat Lakes Commission
Kurt KowalskiKurt KowalskiUSGS USGS ––
Great Lakes ScienceGreat Lakes Science
CenterCenter
Brief project overview
Introduction to invasive Phragmites in the Great
Lakes Region
A little history
USGS GLRI Project and GLC Symposium
The need for a Phragmites
Collaborative
Brief overview of the possibilities
Call to action
Survey
We need your input!
Linking People, Information, and Action
Presenter
Presentation Notes
We’ve organized this meeting because we want your participation and input in a collaborative, region wide effort, addressing invasive phragmites. We have identifitied some needs for communication and coordination, planning, monitoring and analysis. As a first step toward addressing some of those needs, we have come up with the idea for a regional collaborative. We are hoping to engage you in this effort, because without your involvement, this work will not be relevant. We’re overwhelmed with the interest in the webinar today – more than 250 people registered. This supports our suspicion that this is an effort that people want- and we hope that we can get you engaged and help us advance a useful, meaningful and effective strategy.
Common reed
Perennial grass
Can be 5 m high
Wide leaves
Large inflorescence
Rhizomes and extensive root system
Native to North America
Invasive genotype
Presenter
Presentation Notes
- Let’s take a moment and talk about this plant called Phragmites and why it is an problematic issue in the Great Lakes and, in fact, across the nation. Each of you has a different set of experiences with Phragmites, so I’d like to take a few minutes to lay out a common framework for all of us to work on. - Scientific name is Phragmites australis. Most know it just as Phragmites, but the official common name is “common reed”. It is a fast growing perennial grass that grows up to 5m high, has wide leaves (1-5cm or 0.39-1.96”), and produces a large inflorescence with many seeds, that coupled with aggressive rhizomes, help it spread readily Once established, an extensive root system helps keep it stabilized and gives it resiliency - Phragmites is most often found in and around wetlands, but it is not unusual to find it growing along roads, on dry dredge spoils, and in other disturbed sites. - It is native to North America, but there is an aggressive genotype thought to be introduced to North America in the late 1800s. - This is the genotype that continues to expand its range and invade wetland ecosystems
Invasive
Images from Saltonstall
et al 2004
Presenter
Presentation Notes
- There is a growing body of knowledge showing that the range of invasive Phragmites is extensive and overlaps with the range of the native genotype in many areas. These maps are from a 2004 publication, so the range of invasive Phragmites likely is much greater than depicted.
Ecosystems
Biodiversity
Wildlife habitat
Nutrient dynamics
Hydrology
People
Impedes recreation
Aesthetics
Fire
Presenter
Presentation Notes
This means that the impacts on people and the environment can be extensive When Phragmites takes over a wetland site, for example, biodiversity can decrease and critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife can be lost. Similarly, wetland processes like nutrient cycling and hydrology and hydraulics can be disrupted. People can be affected in many ways including reduced recreational opportunities, degrades aesthetics, and increased fire risk. Photos from Sue Tangora
Chemical
Hydrologic
Mechanical
Fire
Presenter
Presentation Notes
So naturally, extensive effort is being expended to manage Phragmites across the landscape and minimize the negative impacts to our ecosystems Current management strategies primarily focus on the use herbicides, flooding, cutting and crushing, and fire to keep the invasive Phragmites in check Photos from Sue Tangora and MDNR (Fahlsing)
Chemical
Hydrologic
Mechanical
Fire
Challenges
Resource intensive
Not species specific
What happens after treatment?
Adaptive management difficult
Presenter
Presentation Notes
So naturally, extensive effort is being expended to manage Phragmites across the landscape and minimize the negative impacts to our ecosystems Current management strategies primarily focus on the use herbicides, flooding, cutting and crushing, and fire to keep the invasive Phragmites in check Photos from Sue Tangora and MDNR (Fahlsing)
2010: USGS – Great Lakes Science Center received
GLRI funding to support restoration efforts on multiple Phragmites‐related fronts:
Basin‐wide Phragmites
distribution map
Vulnerability assessment (habitat suitability; corridors)
Species‐specific controls (endophytes; gene silencing)
Communication strategies
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Now that we’ve discussed the problem, let’s transition to how the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative came about In 2010, the USGS – Great Lakes Science Center received GLRI funding to support restoration efforts on multiple Phragmites-related fronts: We began, Developing a basin-wide Phragmites distribution map Conducting an assessment of areas vulnerable to Phragmites invasion through examination of habitat suitability and invasion corridors, and Exploring species-specific control strategies based on 1) symbiotic relationships between Phragmites and fungal endophytes and 2) the application of gene silencing techniques developed for other plants. And finally keeping communication and information sharing as an important component of all of our work Let’s very briefly go over each of these…
Forecasting Potential Phragmites
Coastal Invasion Corridors (USGS, Michigan Tech Research Institute, Boston College, USFWS)
Phra
gmites
Map
ping
Imag
e: M
TRI
Objective 1: Map
of the current
Phragmites
distribution along the
U.S. Great Lakes coastal zone (10‐
km inland buffer)
Vulne
rability Asses
smen
t
Photo: M
. Carlson M
azur
Photo: M
. Carlson M
azurObjective 2:
Assessment of areas
vulnerable to Phragmites
expansion (a. coastal corridors, b.
habitat suitability)
Presenter
Presentation Notes
In a project titled “Forecasting Potential Phragmites Coastal Invasion Corridors” , USGS partnered with the Michigan Tech Research Institute and Boston College to use radar to develop a map of large Phragmites stands along the US Great Lakes coastal zone. This map and other data were used to assess the areas vulnerable to Phragmites expansion by studying coastal corridors and modeling habitat suitability
URL: http://cida.usgs.gov/glri/phragmites/
Coming soon!
Forecasting Potential Phragmites
Coastal Invasion Corridors (USGS, Michigan Tech Research Institute, Boston College, USFWS)
PhragmitesPhragmites
DistributionDistribution
Habitat Suitability IndexHabitat Suitability Index
Decision Decision Support Support ToolTool
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The resulting Phragmites distribution map, habitat suitability index, and other products will be accessible through a decision support tool similar to this mock up that we hope to have ready by late summer.
Innovative Phragmites
Control Strategies(USGS, Wayne State University, Symbiogenics)
Dual approach:−Determine how symbiosis
and the microbial community
affect
competitive advantage and promote invasions−Apply gene silencing
technology to modify plant characteristics
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Since we were studying where Phragmites was and where it may go, we also initiated a project to examine some potentially new control strategies and build on the extensive efforts of others to develop more sustainable biological and other control methods. Our approach was two pronged, with focus on 1) how symbiosis and the microbial community affect the competitive advantage that Phragmites has during invasions Symbiotic relationships provide benefits to the plants, so we believe that a disruption may lead to new tools to control Phragmites invasion. Conversely, these relationships may be the target of efforts to promote the growth of native plants associated with restoration projects. and the second approach is focused on the application of gene silencing technology to modify plant characteristics and reduce competition. Our research team is working to reduce the competitiveness of Phragmites by targeting genes for reproduction, photosynthesis, and other key plant processes. If key genes can be silenced, then some of the aggressive traits of Phragmites like high productivity and seed formation could be minimized. The exciting part of these two lines of research are that they are focused on Phragmites, but are working on concepts universal to invasive plants around the world. The hope is that management of kudzu, spotted knapweed, and every other invasive plant will benefit from our work.
Communication Strategy
Webinar
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Finally, we have an ongoing priority to communicate project results and implications as widely as possible through both conventional means including presentations, publications, and valuable face-to-face meetings and more creative methods including online decision support tools, webinars, and newer communication methods.
A little more history…
2011
GLC Regional Symposium to Build Capacity for the Management and Control of
Phragmites australis
Objectives:
Convene Michigan based
symposium
Develop survey of
Phragmites stakeholders
Develop a strategic
framework for Phragmites
Management
Presenter
Presentation Notes
In 2010 Received a grant from DEQ coastal program to address phrag communication and coordination needs in MI. The objectives of the project were to:
Key Outcomes:•
Multiple stakeholders engaged in management
•
Wide spectrum of scales, scope and capacity•
Current management is not a long‐term solutions
•
Long‐term planning is limited by funding uncertainty•
Focus is on management not restoration
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No silver bullet for control•
Communication and collaboration is insufficient
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Wildlife managers, Road commissions, watershed groups, private landowners etc. Very large scale infestations, to new spread, some with lots of experience and funding, others that have less experience, Current management is management – not control – and it’s not a long term solution Long-term management and planning is limited because of funding uncertainty We are pretty good at killing phragmites, and that by in large, our focus is on killing it, perhaps to the detriment of overall ecosystem management No control practice yet, and even when they come , there will likely not be a silver bullet And we overwhelmingly that stakeholders want more opportunities for communication and collaboration
Presenter
Presentation Notes
So to step back a bit I wanted to reframe this discussion in terms of adaptive management. In many ways, the adaptive management loop is broken at the point that developing information is fed back into the decision making process to help guide on-the-ground actions, strategic planning, research efforts, and policy creation/enforcement. We think we can do better – and want to address that lag, or that gap, by improving communication. We would also like to evaluate the interest in tools to help fix this break – such as standardized monitoring protocols, assistance data analysis - in an effort complete this cycle and lead to increased efficiencies in phrag control and restoration efforts across the basin
A partnership to link people, information, and action
Presenter
Presentation Notes
So last year after the phrag symposium, kurt and I attended another meeting in SE Michigan – and there started talking about how similar meetings were happening all over the great lakes. In earnest, we started looking into what communication strategies were out there, and thinking about whether a regional partnership would add value, improve coordination, meet the needs highlighted by the symposium and address the communications objective of the USGS GLRI project. We brought this idea to DU and they provided us with additional funding, and here we are today, bringing this idea to you.
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Regional, interactive, web‐based communication strategy
dedicated to technology transfer, information sharing, and
network building
•
Goals:
•
Engage the community
•
Reduce redundancy
•
Link science and management
•
Facilitate adaptive management
•
Encourage systems approach to management and
conservation
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The vision of the Phrag collaborative is a regional… Our goals are to engage the community – which is diverse and spread across 8 states and 2 countries – but the community is the collaborative and we want to build that network. We want to Reduce redundancy – we do not want to reinvent the wheel - there is a lot of good information on phrag and phrag management, and that information should be made widely available -stop the proliferation of multiple brochures that say the same thing Improve the connection between scientists and managers, such that management can inform science, and that new research is more rapidly applied on the ground Provide tools and support to facilitate adaptive management – decision support tools, mapping tools, monitoring and data analysis tools - Encourage a systems approach to management and conservation and challenge stakeholders to try new approaches and think more holistically about phrag within the system. And of course, we want your input into all of this… We are totally open to new goals, new ideas, but we have a few ideas:
First Steps
Websiteand multimedia
Webinar Series
Social Media Steering Committee
Presenter
Presentation Notes
The first steps of this effort is this webinar – and we’re also initiating several other communications strategies and intend to build a steering committee to guide our efforts. We want this effort to be different, and that’s hard to do, so as you listen, think about what you need, and how we can address needs and gaps.
Website: www.greatlakesphragmites.net
An interactive portal to:
centralize information
connect existing efforts
build new partnerships
Presenter
Presentation Notes
This first thing we want to work on is a website. Our intent is to not have a static website that contains the same information as all the other websites on Phrag. Instead, we want to create a more interactive site that can serve as a portal or hub to centralize information, link to other efforts – other websites and resources, and to build new partnerships. We envision our website including information on science and research, management, and also a multimedia section, which would house or link to presentations, videos, in a central location..
Management techniques and case studies
Monitoring and assessment protocols
Planning and prioritization of management
Current research on Phragmites
control and
management
Permitting/regulations
Web‐based product development
The who’s who of Phragmites management
Webinar Series
Presenter
Presentation Notes
We also plan to develop a webinar series. The goal of the webinars is to dig a little deeper into specific topics, and provide opportunities for sharing information and transferring technology across the region We’ve identified several potential topics we think would be interesting, but we’d like to know what you’re interested in – and if you’re interested in sharing your experience, promoting your good work so others can learn from your experience and ideas.
@GLPhrag
#GreatLakes
#Phragmites
Great Lakes Phragmites
Collaborative
Presenter
Presentation Notes
We’re also catching up with the world and hoping to build a communications network via twitter and facebook. We think these will be great ways to push information to participants, and that they could be great tools to allow the community to ‘talk’ with each other more easily. If you’re in to this stuff, you can find us here: Twitter logo image: http://netrightdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Twitter.png Facebook image from http://www.zdnet.com/i/story/62/92/000799/facebook_logo.png Note that this is an opportunity to get into social networking, and there is a twitter tutorial when you sign up.
Other potential products
Scalable monitoring and statistical protocols
Decision support tools
Project database
Mapping tools
???
Presenter
Presentation Notes
We are also interested in developing other tools that users might find valuable, including: scalable monitoring protocols, data analysis tools, decision support tools, mapping tools,
Roles and Responsibilities
Participate in communication webinar and planning meetings tbd.
Provide input on communication strategy and productsMake‐up
Approximately 25 people
Expertise on management, research, communication
Representative sample of agencies and organizations
Good geographic representation
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Lots of expertise in the region, we would like to develop a steering committee to help coordinate and provide direction on the development of this effort.
Next StepsSend us:
Things you would like to see
Suggestions for format or functionality
Existing resources that we should know about
A Survey!
Survey: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/980185/Feedback-on-the-Great-Lakes-
Phragmites-Collaborative
Website: www.greatlakesphragmites.net
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: GLPhragCollaborative
(@GLPhrag)
Facebook: Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative
Survey: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/980185/Feedback-on-the-Great-Lakes-
Phragmites-Collaborative
Website: www.greatlakesphragmites.net
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: GLPhragCollaborative
(@GLPhrag)
Facebook: Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative
