The LIISMA field season was in full swing this July with projects to protect the region from emerging invasive species, survey habitat, and manage invasive species in conservation areas.
Conservation Areas
In July, LIISMA wrapped up a season of water chestnut (Trapa natans) management efforts at Connetquot River State Park. The team collaborated with NYS Parks Strike Team to locate and remove a small population of water chestnut – all 13 plants in Main Pond were successfully removed. This year shows a significant decrease from 2024, when 45 plants were found and removed. Compared to other water chestnut sites where a half day’s worth of manual work yields dozens of bags of the plant, eradication is in sight for this small population.
LIISMA also teamed up with NYSDEC to hand pull floating water primrose (Ludwigia peploides) at Peconic Lake and Artist Lake. After three years of herbicide treatment of ludwigia on the Peconic River, treatment will now transition to manual control. NYSDEC staff is hard at work planning for the future of the Peconic River, adapting a water chestnut model to inform ludwigia management and even training a harvester to identify and eventually remove ludwigia.
At Artist Lake, far fewer ludwigia plants were found than in past years – about 50 compared to 660 over two visits in 2024. NYSDEC drone footage assisted in the survey, confirming that ludwigia wasn’t present in the far reaches of the pond inaccessible by kayak. It’s encouraging to see the positive effects of management efforts with a significant decrease in ludwigia density since 2024. The team plans to return later in the summer to check for newly emerged plants and keep ludwigia at Artist Lake under control.
Kassidy and Emma teamed up with Town of Brookhaven staff, Alan and Nicole, for the yearly survey on the Carmans River. A paddle down the river from Yaphank to Southaven County Park revealed that the river is still free of ludwigia. The team appreciated the natural beauty of the river as they kayaked, taking in the sweet smell of pepperbush blooms and noticing flowers of swamp azalea, swamp loosestrife, and swamp rose all in bloom. Hundreds of damselflies, the ebony jewelwings, appreciated the river, too. The team was thrilled to see this habitat free of new invasive species and supporting plentiful wildlife.
Shifting gears from aquatic work, LIISMA visited Otis Pike State Forest to manage two small populations of pale swallowwort (Vincetoxicum rossicum) as in past years. Aided by new equipment, managing the swallowwort was a breeze – cutting down foliage with the string trimmer to suppress growth, deplete root stores, and prevent seed set in half the time. While it is more difficult to pinpoint the amount of plants managed this year due to the mechanical nature of the treatment, the plants present seemed to be less vigorous and less of them in fruit than in years past.
EDRR
Through careful examination of local reports and extensive field surveys for emerging invasive species, the LIISMA team stays on the cutting edge of early detection in the region.
Starting off EDRR work for July at Coffin Woods, the team and their unofficial mascots (see below) took a stroll to follow-up on a small population of plume poppy (Macleaya cordata). The team positively identified five individual plume poppies and plans to coordinate management in the future.
Lastly, LIISMA surveyed for ragged-robin (Silene flos-cuculi) at Fuch’s Pond Preserve. Following up on another iNaturalist report, the team did not locate any ragged robin. This could be due to previous management, or incorrect seasonality. LIISMA plans to follow-up next season to increase likelihood of locating any ragged robin or ensure its absence.
LIISMA Side-Quests
The LIISMA team visited the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center (LIHREC) to learn with and connect with other interns. Staff and interns learned how plant pathologies are determined through a combination of lab cultures of fungi and assessing insect damage. The team also visited the weed demonstration garden – a collection of invasive plants cultivated in a controlled environment for educational purposes. Thank you to Mina, Andy, Dan, Margery, and Nora for the tour.
As part of Community Science Long Island, the team coordinated a nature walk at Coindre Hall with the park ecologist and Friends of Coindre Hall volunteers. Participants had the opportunity to see yellow garden loosestrife up close and hear how it impacts the brackish wet meadow at Coindre Hall. This environment also faces challenges with climate change and sea level rise, park ecologist David Jakim, explained. The good news is that Friends of Coindre Hall are hard at work removing the invasive yellow loosestrife and asking the tough questions like how to protect this unique habitat in the face of climate change.
