Project Description
To compensate for injuries to natural resources, the Nyanza Natural Resource Trustees transferred $1,047,500 to the Sudbury-Assabet-Concord River Watershed Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (SuAsCo CISMA) to control invasive plants in the Sudbury River watershed. SuAsCo CISMA collaborated with the Massachusetts Audubon Society (Mass Audubon) to map purple loosestrife in wetlands along the Sudbury River from Ashland to Concord, and determine where Galerucella beetles are present. Galerucella beetles are leaf-eating beetles that have been released in wetlands throughout North America to control purple loosestrife since the 1990s. Though not native to North America, these beetles only feed on purple loosestrife, slowing the spread of the species by suppressing plant growth and limiting its ability to reproduce. Once the extent of the purple loosestrife and Galerucella populations were known, Mass Audubon and several member organizations in SuAsCo CISMA reared new populations of the beetles and released them in areas of extensive infestation. To address potential impacts on the local beekeeping community, approximately 20 acres of wet meadows within a two mile radius of the release sites were restored. The native species that were planted now provide nectar and pollen for honey bees and other pollinators.
SuAsCo CISMA also provided funding to OARS, a local non-profit watershed organization, in 2013 to map the distribution of water chestnut in the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers, including Heard Pond and four ponds in the Hop Brook system. OARS re-mapped the watershed in 2014 to confirm the distribution of water chestnut and document the increase in abundance over the following year. It was found that there was an increase of over 45 acres between 2013 and 2014. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Mass Audubon hired field crews to remove water chestnut by simple hand pulling. The USFWS also purchased a mechanical harvester, canoes, kayaks, and other equipment for the control effort. In 2016, the navigable sections of the watershed were mapped again by OARS to assess the variability in growth compared to 2013 and 2014. This information was used to develop a guide for SuAsCo CISMA to manage water chestnut in the watershed long term, including assisting municipalities with necessary permitting and providing resource materials.
Restoration Land Ownership
County or Municipal; Fish and Wildlife Service; State
Parties Implementing Restoration
Massachusetts Audubon Society ; OARS; Sudbury-Assabet-Concord River Watershed Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area
DOI Project Representatives
Fish and Wildlife Service