The LIISMA team ventures out to Long Island’s easternmost point to monitor for invasive species!
To many Long Islanders, Montauk is a summer vacation destination located in the town of East Hampton, NY, where visitors go to enjoy beaches, fishing, shopping and other recreational activities. Famously known as “The End” in regards to its positioning on the easternmost tip of Long Island, it sits 118 miles east of Midtown Manhattan and provides a diverse history of Native American and colonial settlement, fishing, tourism and military use. Montauk is home to six state parks, including Hither Hills, Shadmoor, Montauk Downs, Amsterdam Beach, Camp Hero and Montauk Point State Parks. Each of the parks contributes to the wide variety of ecological diversity that rests within Montauk’s various topographical regions.
The LIISMA team walked the trails of Amsterdam Beach State Park and Camp Hero State Park in order to map the extent of invasive species within the parks, and provide management recommendations for high priority species and sites within the areas. The sites had not been visited in some time, and Montauk’s ecological diversity is not immune from the threat of invasive species– that’s why the LIISMA team made it a priority for surveying this past month.
Amsterdam Beach State Park was surveyed by the LIISMA team in order to map the extent of invasive species within the park. We found many common invasive species along the trails like honeysuckle and border privet, however there were also areas with high ecological integrity that were worth protecting from these encroaching species. Some areas even had no invasive species present at all, much to the team’s surprise and appreciation.
On our next day, LIISMA Invasive Species Specialist, Haley Gladitsch, Invasive Species Field Project and Outreach Coordinator Abigail Bezrutczyk, and Field Technicians Melody Penny, and Katharine Stirber met with Victoria Bustamante of Third House Nature Center to create a tiered list of invasive species within the park. Walking along the extensive trails, the team looked out for emerging species like swallow-wort, stiltgrass, and beech leaf disease. Unfortunately, Beech leaf disease was detected in one of several beech stands. Other beech stands farther north on the trail did not yet appear to be affected by this emerging disease, making continued monitoring of high importance. Other shrubs like linden viburnum and buckthorn threaten the forested areas. Overall, though areas within both sites were of particular concern and overrun with invasives, other more pristine areas of the parks were seemingly untouched and highly manageable to maintain.
With our mapping tools, we were able to document these species and will be working with State Parks to continue the protection of these great ecosystems.
