The State of New Jersey Invasives Species
2019 Strike Team Conference
Presented by Michael Van Clef, Strike Team Program Director FoHVOS / Strike Team Staff
Lisa Wolff, FoHVOS Executive Director Mike Van Clef, FoHVOS Stewardship Director & Strike Team Program Director
Michael Bellaus, Land Steward Beth Craighead, Senior Land Steward Tyler Christensen, Land Steward Logan Horvath, Program Manager Adam Korwin, IT Technician Brian Kubin, Land Steward Leslie Kuchinski, Operations Manager Gemma Milly, Land Steward Margaret Spencer, Office Assistant and Strike Team Coordinator Steering Committee
John Cecil, New Jersey Audubon
Emile DeVito, New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Keri Green, New Jersey Highlands Council
Ken Klipstein, New Jersey Water Supply Authority Technical Advisory Committee
Thom Almendinger, Duke Farms Michele Bakacs, Rutgers Cooperative Extension Kerry Barringer, Flora of North America Association Jeanette Bowers-Altman, NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife Chris Doyle, Solitude Lake Management Art Gover, The Pennsylvania State University Rachel Mackow, Wild Ridge Plants Mark Mayer, NJ Department of Agriculture Shanna Madsen, NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife Christopher Smith, NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife Robert Somes, NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife Carole Stanko, NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife Results! Since Inception in 2008 Acres Searched 750,000 Populations Detected 12,000 Eradications Completed 2,100
Important broken record stuff…
35% of sites have NO emerging species Plus, 45% of sites have <10 populations Results! 2018 Early Detection / Rapid Response 1,000 acres searched, 380 populations detected, 205 populations eradicated & 68 populations initiated
Outreach and Training Annual conference, 14 educational presentations, 2 training sessions and 6 tabling events reaching over 1,100 people The Stewardship Effort Hierarchy
1) Deer, Deer, Deer → deer 2) Invasives Emerging Invasive Species Control / Eradication Stage 0, then Stage 1, etc. Invasives on High Conservation Value Lands Rare species habitat and old forests 3) Restore 2019 Target Species
145 species 101 plants + 44 “animals”
More Numbers…
• 145 Target Species (down by 4) -Stage 0 = 62 (down by 9) -Stage 1 = 40 (up by 5) -Stage 2 = 29 (up by 1) -Stage 3 = 14 (down by 1)
• 78 Widespread Species (up by 7)
• 47 Watch Species (up by 6) Stage 0 Examples - Update
Sickleweed and Japanese Spirea New Species Update
East Asian Tick - Haemaphysalis longicornis Stage 0 → Stage 2 New Species Update
Spotted Lanternfly Stage 1 → Stage 2 New Species
New Zealand Mud Snail Stage 0 → Widespread soon?? Not new, but on the move?
Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium) Not Listed to Widespread
Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronlis) Not Listed to Watch Biocontrol Update from Mark Mayer
To learn more, see Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Google TAGPetitionAction.pdf
Black Swallow-wort Pending permit to release in New Jersey Hypena opulenta (moth) Japanese Knotweed TAG approval, awaiting EPA, USFWS, USDA review Aphalara itadori (psyllid) Phragmites TAG petition for release – Long way off, but maybe? Two moth species Hydrilla control Update from Chris Doyle and Heather Desko
Performed by NJ Water Supply Authority and Solitude Lake Management
Kicked serious butt in the Delaware Canal
Moving on to Manasquan Reservoir United States Forest Service
Goals
Develop 56 concise 10-Year Invasive Species Management Plans
Conservation Partners on 6 preserves (see below)
Private Landowners on 50 parcels (25 so far)
Implement Year 1 for each plan
Eradicate 1,500 populations
Heavy clearing on 55 acres
Provide 6 professional workshops reaching 150 people
How are we going to get all of this done??!!
Over 12,500 hours of effort (ca. 9,000 staff and 3,500 volunteer)
Partners
Mercer County Parks – Baldpate Mountain
Monmouth County Parks – Hartshorne Woods
New Jersey Audubon – Cape May Point State Park
New Jersey Conservation Foundation – Ashmum, Apshawa and Parker Preserves
Sourland Conservancy – Private Landowners
50 Private Forest Landowners (20 Sourland, 30 elsewhere) Victoria Foundation
Goals Develop 5 concise 10-Year Invasive Species Management Plans
Conservation partners on 5 preserves (see below) Develop educational program for Newark high school students
320 hours of instruction time related to plant identification, stewardship and conservation careers Partners Hunterdon Land Trust – Saeger Preserve Mendham Township – Mosle Preserve Raritan Headwaters Association – Fox Hill Preserve Ridge and Valley Conservancy – Lightning Bug Hollow The Land Conservancy of New Jersey – West Brook Preserve United Parks as One & Trust for Public Land Franklin Parker
Kudzu (you know, the one that should be eradicated ASAP!)
Assisted treatment of kudzu on three properties
Partners
United States Fish & Wildlife Service
New Jersey Audubon Contracts
Morris County Parks Tourne, Pyramid Mountain, Lewis Morris Pushing back Japanese Aralia and Oriental Photinia Morristown National Historic Park Maintaining relatively clean areas Princeton Herrontown Woods and Mountain Lakes Pushing back Japanese Aralia (as ED/RR) and others Ridge & Valley Conservancy Pine Pond Preserve Pushing back Tree-of-Heaven Japanese Spirea ED/RR Expanded Outreach Efforts
Educational Presentations
Includes invasives, natives, deer and customized
14 held in 2018
15 scheduled in 2019 (so far) Tabling Events
6 held in 2018
6 scheduled in 2019 (so far) Training Sessions
Includes ID and Control Methods
2 held in 2018
4 scheduled in 2019 (so far) ‘Local Strike Teams’
Friends of Great Swamp
Hilltop Reservation
‘Emerging’ Groups
Jackson Woods - Long Branch
Others?
“The lesson I take from more than a decade of volunteer and professional land stewardship is that remarkable progress is the predictable result of steady, low-technology land management.” - Jennifer Hillmer, Land Steward Upcoming Events
Public Conference
Sunday, June 2nd @ Great Swamp
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Speakers / Topics
Use and benefits of native plant gardens
Identification and treatment of invasive species
Success stories from ‘Local Strike Team’ leaders
Target Audience
Volunteers and Volunteer Leaders
General Public
Potluck Social – Beat Them by Eating Them!
October TBD
Target Audience
EVERYBODY! We thank our conference supporters!