Beaver Island Archipelago: Invasive Species Control Final Report Submitted by:

Transcription

1 Beaver Island Archipelago: Invasive Species Control Final Report Submitted by: 4371 N Long Lake Rd Traverse City, MI wildlife@wildlifewetlands.com (231)

2 Project Plan and Schedule 2014 Treatment concentrated on phragmites on the Great Lakes shoreline, invasive species on inland and shoreline Little Traverse Conservancy properties, private land holdings (CMU), and all shrub/tree treatments where permission was given. This treatment focused on points already surveyed, navigating to those points, noting the size and density, and completing treatment. Surveys were also completed in two Little Traverse Conservancy Preserve areas to detect invasive species. In September, treatment for phragmites, reed canary grass, first-year marsh thistle, autumn olive, honeysuckle, multiflora rose, and oriental bittersweet is most effective. Cut stump was conducted for most shrubs, foliar spraying for first year plants, reed canary grass, and phragmites Private Permission Treatment of phragmites on the Beaver Island shoreline is allowed through the township ordinances. Treatment for other invasive species, including spotted knapweed, bladder campion, reed canary grass, narrow-leaved cattail, and others, required permission from private property owners. Letters and permission forms were sent in March of Responses were logged into an excel spreadsheet and transferred to a GIS program that crews could reference on the ground for treatment Complete multiple species treatments on all state land, Little Traverse Conservancy land, and private land Lake Michigan shoreline where permission was given, including treatment for the Outer Islands: Garden, High, and Hog. This was accomplished during four trips to Beaver Island for appropriate treatment timing for as many species as possible. June 2015 Treatment was conducted on the Beaver Island shoreline for multiple invasive species, including but not limited to: spotted knapweed, bladder campion, sweet clover, and reed canary grass. Shoreline treatments were conducted on June 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Treatment was conducted on Barney s Lake for reed canary grass on June 15. Little Sand Bay Preserve was surveyed and treated for bull thistle, Canada thistle, reed canary grass, spotted knapweed on June 16. Conn s Cove Preserve was treated for spotted knapweed, bull thistle, Canada thistle, and reed canary grass on June 17. July 2015 Treatment was conducted on the Conn s Cove Preserve on July 13 for narrow-leaved cattail and retreatment of all previously treated species. Retreatment of all invasive species on the Beaver Island shoreline also began on July 13. Narrow-leaved cattail was also treated on the shoreline. Little Sand Bay Preserve treatment occurred on July 14 for narrow-leaved cattail, autumn olive, and common mullein in addition to the retreatment of previously treated areas and on July 22 for upland areas. Egg Lake treatment was conducted on July 14 for reed canary grass and Jerusalem artichoke. Wild parsnip was treated on July 15, 16, and 22 (and Oriental bittersweet) on Hannigan s and McCauley s roads. Shoreline retreatments (and initial treatments for any newly added properties) was conducted on July 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, and 23. High Island initial treatment for spotted knapweed occurred on July 16. Barney s Lake was treated for reed canary grass, bull thistle, and narrow-leaved cattail and Miller s Marsh for narrow-leaved cattail and reed canary grass on July 22.

3 September 2015 Phragmites treatment was completed in September, with dates on Sept 14, 15, and 16. Phragmites and narrow-leaved cattail was treated on Garden Island on Sept 15. State land north of Little Sand Bay Preserve was treated on Sept 16 for swamp thistle. Black locust was removed at the Lighthouse School on Sept 16. Hog Island was treated on Sept 17 for phragmites, narrowleaved cattail, and reed canary grass. October 2015 Adverse weather conditions caused a fourth trip to be necessary to accomplish work on the Outer Islands. This was completed on High Island for spotted knapweed rosettes on October 4. Treatment of Poison Ivy was conducted along the trail leading to the cabin on High Island on October 4 as well. 2014/2015 Treatment Summaries The following tasks were completed for each group: Group 1 (Shoreline): 1. Treat all phragmites on entire shoreline using phragmites ordinance. 2. Treat phragmites on all inland lakes, including Barney s Lake and check for native/invasive at Miller s Marsh. 3. Treat narrow-leaved cattail, marsh thistle and reed canary grass on properties where permission is given (Little Sand Bay, Conns Cove, Egg Lake, Barney s Lake). 1. Obtain permission from private landowners to conducts invasive species removal. 2. Treat all spotted knapweed, reed canary grass, sweet clover, bladder campion, Canada thistle and bull thistle in June, where permission given, including state land, Conservancy property, and private property. 3. Retreat all spotted knapweed, reed canary grass, sweet clover and bladder campion in July and also include narrow-leaved cattail, where permission given as above. 4. Treat spotted knapweed on High Island in July. 5. Treat all phragmites on entire shoreline using phragmites ordinance in September. 6. Treat phragmites and narrow-leaved cattail on Garden Island in September. 7. Treat phragmites, narrow-leaved cattail, and reed canary grass on Hog Island in September. 8. Treat spotted knapweed on High Island in October. Group 2 (Little Sand Bay): 1. Conduct fall survey. Treat appropriate species. 2. Treat reed canary grass, marsh and bull thistle, phragmites and narrow-leaved cattail. 3. Treatment of oriental bittersweet on Little Sand Bay and Font Lake.

4 1. Conduct spring survey. Retreat all previously treated invasive species, including reed canary grass, marsh and bull thistle, and swamp thistle. Treat any new plants found during survey. 2. Treat spotted knapweed along trail leading into Preserve to limit movement of spotted knapweed into the Preserve and shoreline. 3. Recheck, and retreat where necessary, oriental bittersweet on Little Sand Bay and Font Lake. 4. Conduct initial survey of state land and treat all invasive, including swamp thistle, bull thistle, Canada thistle, reed canary grass, and spotted knapweed (?). Group 3 (Harbor lighthouse area): 1. Treat oriental bittersweet at Harbor Lighthouse, Indian Point, Conn s property, and Protar s property. 2. Treat Japanese knotweed at Conn s property. 3. Treat Jerusalem artichoke and reed canary grass at Egg Lake. 4. Treat reed canary grass at Miller s Marsh. 1. Recheck, and retreat where necessary, oriental bittersweet at Harbor Lighthouse, Indian Point, Conn s property, and Protar s property. 2. Retreat Japanese knotweed at Conn s property. 3. Retreat Jerusalem artichoke and reed canary grass at Egg Lake. 4. Retreat reed canary grass at Miller s Marsh. 5. Treat purple loosestrife and narrow-leaved cattail on King s Highway pond. Group 4 (Kings Highway): 1. Conduct fall survey on Conn s Cove. Treat appropriate species. 2. Treat autumn olive and honeysuckle on Little Sand Bay. 3. Treat narrow-leaved cattail at Harbor Beach and Church property. 4. Treat reed canary grass on Barney s Lake and Barney s Lake Fen. 1. Conduct spring survey on Conn s Cove Preserve. Retreat all previously treated invasive species, including reed canary grass, swamp thistle, bull thistle, Canada thistle, and spotted knapweed. 2. Treatment of bush honeysuckle and autumn olive along Kings Highway 3. Recheck and retreat autumn olive and honeysuckle on Little Sand Bay Preserve. Treat any new populations. 4. Retreat reed canary grass, thistles, and phragmites (at appropriate time of year) at Barney s Fen and shoreline. Note: 1. Permission was not given to treat large narrow-leaved cattail patches on the Harbor Beach area.

5 Group 5 (Hannigan Road State Land): 1. No treatment was conducted in this group, due to lack of permission. Permission was obtained from Charlevoix County Road Commission, but it was not sufficient to conduct treatment. Private landowner permission will be required to conduct any roadside treatments. 1. Treat autumn olive along Hannigans Rd, McCauley s and Darkey/Kings Hwy, and autumn olive and multiflora rose near French Rd. 2. Treat wild parsnip on McCauley s and Hannigans Roads on state land and private land, where permission given. Results Maps are provided for each 2015 treatment area for all four treatment times/seasons. They are listed below for reference: Permissions SpringResultsE SpringResultsE2 SpringResultsE3 SpringResultsNE SpringResultsNW SpringResultsS SpringResultsSE SpringResultsSW SpringResultsW SpringResultsW2 SpringResultsW3 SummerResultsE SummerResultsE2 SummerResultsE3 SummerResultsE4 SummerResultsNE SummerResultsNW SummerResultsRoads SummerResultsS SummerResultsSE SummerResultsSE2 SummerResultsW SummerResultsW2 SummerResultsW3 SummerResultsW4 SummerResultsW5 SummerResultsW6 SummerResultsW7 High_IslandSummer FallHighIsland FallResultsE FallResultsE2 FallResultsE3 FallResultsNE FallResultsNW FallResultsS FallResultsSE FallResultsSE2 FallResultsSW FallResultsW FallResultsW2 FallResultsW3 FallResultsW4 Garden_IslandFall Hog_IslandFall Private property owner permissions were received for 366 of the 2072 private property owners on Beaver Island. A map is included with the treatment maps to show the areas where permission was given for Once the initial permissions were logged, targeted contact was made for specific properties based on priority of treatment and species. Additional permissions were received in this manner. However, many properties were not treated based on lack of permission. Approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the shoreline was treated for invasive species when state land areas were included with private land permissions. Crews were given GPS maps to determine whether permission was granted on private lands and where to conduct treatment. June treatments for spotted knapweed, bladder campion, and sweet clover on the shoreline were largely successful. Onset of new growth occurred between the June treatment to the retreatment in July. This was expected and most of the reason for two treatments during the growing season. The majority of plants missed or that grew between treatments were treated during the July application. Overall the two treatments combined were very successful.

6 Phragmites treatment was greatly reduced this year due to several factors, including environmental factors and higher water levels. A significant decrease in size, density, and overall abundance of phragmites was documented throughout the entire shoreline. There were very few, if any, notable infestations. Treatments for reed canary grass and Marsh thistle in the Little Sand Bay Preserve, Barney s Lake, and Miller s Marsh were largely successful. All of the above areas have been treated at least twice and noticeable improvements were evident. Brush treatments have been successful, however re-treatments are required each year until all sprouts have been controlled. In areas where permission was granted, treatment for wild parsnip was conducted. Effectiveness of the treatments will be best determined in spring. Treatments on the Outer Islands (High, Garden, and Hog) are expected to be successful. Unfortunately, weather conditions limited the area and amount of work that could be completed. An additional trip to Beaver Island was required to attempt treatment. Timing of fall treatments is critical for narrow-leaved cattail and phragmites, so a late August trip might result in better weather conditions. Recommendations We recommend continued treatment of the following invasive plants on the entire Beaver Island Archipelago: Treatment of phragmites on Beaver Island is currently in a maintenance phase and the major infestations are under control. The remaining populations are documented and should be checked on an annual or bi-annual basis and treated accordingly. Narrow-leaved cattail should be closely monitored in 2016/17. Most of the major infestations along the shoreline have been treated twice (with the exception of the Harbor area) and are manageable, however, like phragmites, if left unchecked the population may quickly expand to undesirable levels. Treatment for narrow-leaved cattail is recommended for July 2016 in anticipation of maintenance phase following 2016 treatment. Continued treatment for spotted knapweed, sweet clover, and bladder campion is highly recommended and should be conducted as early in May 2016 as possible to limit non-target damage. Treatment of these species has shown to be very effective before spring growth occurs. This early treatment should be followed up by a retreatment in late June or early July for the most effective results. Although 2015 treatment was successful, we strongly recommend continued treatment in Several years of continuous treatment is ideal for lasting results. In areas where pitcher s thistle, Huron tansy, and other endangered/threatened species is dense, and mixed with invasive plants, the most effective treatment may be hand pulling. Hand pulling may not be as effective as herbicide treatment, but might be the only option for areas with endangered plants. We highly recommend treatment on the shoreline area of High Island where Piping plovers have historically nested. Spotted knapweed has completely infested the clean, rocky/sandy peninsula that the endangered birds once nested in. With some targeted treatment, that area can be restored to suitable

7 plover nesting habitat. Treatment would include a chemical application, as early in May as possible, followed up by a re-treatment in the month of June/early July. Although the plovers are finding their nesting areas in the spring when the first treatment would occur and it may interrupt the birds choice in nest site location this coming spring, we feel it is more important to complete treatment of spotted knapweed in order to save/restore crucial nesting habitat for the future. Without targeted treatment on High Island no suitable habitat will be available for Piping plovers in the future. Treatment of phragmites and narrow-leaved cattail on Garden and Hog islands is also recommended. Although we were only able to treat half of each Island in 2015, we feel it is important to get back to Hog island and treat the shoreline areas for both phragmites and narrow-leaved cattail. If left untreated for much longer, these two species will dominate the coastal wetlands and shoreline areas of Hog Island. Garden Island was similar to Hog Island but not quite as dense with invasives along the shoreline. Again, we only treated part of the Island due to weather but significant invasive plant infestations were present on Garden Island as well. Future treatment is recommended. Additional contact and education with private property owners will be essential to complete future treatments for the invasive species treated during Phragmites shoreline treatment was pioneered by Beaver Island and it is possible that success can be duplicated into a multiple invasive species ordinance or private owner permission with continued and extended education.