INTEGRATED PEST AND INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN for the ALBANY RAPP ROAD LANDFILL ECOSYSTEM MITIGATION, RESTORATION & ENHANCEMENT PROJECT CITY of ALBANY, NEW YORK April 2009 INTEGRATED PEST AND INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN for the ALBANY RAPP ROAD LANDFILL ECOSYSTEM MITIGATION, RESTORATION & ENHANCEMENT PROJECT CITY of ALBANY, NEW YORK Prepared by Applied Ecological Services, Inc. 17921 Smith Road P.O. Box 256 Brodhead, Wisconsin 53520-0256 608/897-8641 Phone 608/897-8486 Fax Submitted to Clough Harbour & Associates, LLP III Winners Circle PO Box 5269 Albany, NY 12205-0269 April, 2009 T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Page Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Existing Conditions & Opportunities for Ecosystem Restoration........................................... 3 Restoration & Mitigation Approach & Design............................................................................ 7 Work Plan & Target Species ........................................................................................................ 16 Schedule & Management Goals ................................................................................................... 52 Tables Table 1. General Ten Year Management Schedule.................................................................. 54 Table 2. Long-Term Management Activities ............................................................................ 56 Table 3. Approved New York State Pesticides......................................................................... 57 Figures Figure 1. Existing Land Cover .................................................................................................... 59 Figure 2. Restoration Plan............................................................................................................ 60 Figure 3. Invasive Plant Species .................................................................................................. 61 Appendices Appendix A. Invasive Fauna ...................................................................................................... 63 Appendix B. Invasive Flora ......................................................................................................... 73 Appendix C. Applicator/Technician Pesticide Annual Report............................................109 Appendix D. Management Specifications ...............................................................................114 Appendix E. Monitoring Plan & Performance Criteria.........................................................128 INTRODUCTION A plan for restoring and managing native plant communities associated with the Eastern Expansion of the City of Albany Rapp Road Landfill is detailed in a separate document entitled Albany Rapp Road Landfill Ecosystem Mitigation, Restoration & Enhancement Plan (Applied Ecological Services, Inc. 2009). To meet the requirements of the NYSDEC 401 and Article 24 Freshwater permit condition, an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Invasive Species Management Plan was prepared. This report provides strategies and techniques for controlling and managing both invasive animal and plant species known to occur in the Albany Rapp Road Landfill property including the proposed restoration area. The plan also considers potential invasive species (pests) that could become problematic in the future. For purposes of this plan invasive species are those that have been introduced or moved from their native habitat (intentionally or unintentionally) to a new location and have become established and spread with little or no competition from native species. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and an environmentally sensitive approach to managing such species that relies on combining complementary control practices. An IPM program uses current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available control methods, is used to manage impacts by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, non- target organisms, and the environment. The NYSDEC defines IPM as a “systematic approach to managing pests which focuses on long- term prevention or suppression with minimal impact on human health, the environment and non- target organisms. IPM incorporates all reasonable measures to prevent pest problems by properly identifying pests, monitoring population dynamics, and utilizing cultural, physical, biological or chemical pest population control methods to reduce pests to an acceptable level” (NYSDEC 2004a). An IPM regime can be quite simple, or sophisticated enough to be a system in its own right. The main focus of this and most IPM plans is the management of all naturally occurring biological threats. The Albany Rapp Road Landfill IPM plan has been designed to be simple and easy to implement, and intends to achieve and apply the following components: 1. Acceptable pest levels: The emphasis is on control, not eradication. IPM holds that wiping out an entire population is often impossible, and the attempt can be more costly, environmentally unsafe, and frequently unachievable. It is better to decide on what constitutes acceptable levels, and apply the appropriate or a series of appropriate controls if the population of the acceptable level is exceeded. 2. Preventive cultural practices: Selecting plant varieties best suited for local growing conditions, and maintaining healthy plantings, is the first line of defense. 3. Monitoring and identification: Regular observation is the cornerstone of IPM. Visual inspection and other measurement methods are used to monitor pest levels. Record- keeping is essential, as is a thorough knowledge of the behavior and reproductive cycles of target species. Not all weeds and other living organisms require control. 4. Mechanical controls: Should a species reach an unacceptable level, mechanical control methods are the first option to consider. They include simply hand-pulling plants, mowing, erecting barriers for animals, using traps, and tillage to disrupt growth. J:060590:042209 1 Integrated Pest Management Plan – Albany Landfill 5. Biological controls: Natural biological processes and materials can provide control, with minimal environmental impact, and often at a lower cost. The main focus at the Albany Rapp Road Landfill mitigation site is on promoting beneficial insects that eat target plant species such as the beetles and weevils used for biological control of purple loosestrife. 6. Chemical controls: Synthetic pesticides and herbicides are generally used only as required and often only at specific times during the target species life cycle. The IPM plan provides a variety of management techniques for the control of invasive species of plants and animals that are currently onsite and those that are the most likely problems at the Albany Rapp Road Landfill site in the future. These management strategies are to be used singularly or in combination to control a pest species or minimize its’ impact. In most instances of plant and animal pests, the use of herbicides and pesticides are often integrated in management plans. The goal of the IPM plan is not only to integrate the use of herbicides and pesticides, but to integrate the use of alternative management activities that have been developed or may be developed. If pests are at levels where natural and/or synergistic management techniques are appropriate for attaining the projects performance standards, careful consideration of their use has been evaluated. J:060590:042209 2 Integrated Pest Management Plan – Albany Landfill EXISTING CONDITIONS & OPPORTUNITIES for ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION Previous attempts to establish some types of Pine Bush communities at the landfill have met with mixed success. For example, vegetative test plots were installed on the landfill clay cap but did not establish well, as the soil types were not the necessary sandy soils found in the Pine Bush. The mobile home park to the north of the landfill was dedicated to the APBP by the City. However, there was never an obligation on the part of the City to restore the mobile home park to Pine Bush habitat and, until more recently when concepts were developed by the City’s consultants and discussed with APBPC and DEC staff as the result of the current landfill expansion proposal, no comprehensive plan existed for how that parcel would be restored and managed. The current Eastern Expansion proposal presents a unique opportunity to look at the landfill, the mobile home park, and surrounding Preserve lands as a whole. As a result, the City retained Applied Ecological Services, Inc. (AES), a nationally recognized ecological restoration firm with specific expertise in pine barren communities. After an initial field visit, issues and concerns were identified within the landfill and surrounding areas and restoration concepts were developed that were used to begin a dialog with the APBPC technical staff. Next, the project team began detailed investigations of the vegetation, soils, and hydrology within project impact areas, degraded areas, and high quality reference areas (see results in Section 3 of the SDEIS), and used this data to refine concepts and to further engage the APBPC technical staff. This process provided the foundation for developing the Ecosystem Mitigation, Restoration & Enhancement Plan presented under separate cover.