As we gear up for a new season of conservation efforts, we’re excited to introduce Emma Diaz, the newest member of the LIISMA team! In this Q&A, she shares her interest in invasive species management, fieldwork adventures, and the unexpected joys of native plants. Get to know Emma and what inspires her work in the interview below.
Q: What interests you about conservation work and invasive species?
Part of the reason why I enjoy conservation work so much is because it’s this fundamental way to care about the world around you. It is the stewardship of our collective home and all of its inhabitants; for all of Earth’s irreplaceable ecosystems, and for all of the future generations that deserve to experience them, too. To me, that truth makes it hard to not feel fulfilled by work in this field. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that ecology is one of the coolest subjects ever—I’m always learning when I’m outdoors!
Invasives interest me because no two species are the same. While certain invasives are universally hated, many others are hard to pursue because they are cultivated for their aesthetic value. While some invasives spread thousands to millions of seeds per year, many others dominate areas through their underground rhizomes and tubers. While some species have been established here for decades, there are still others which are only beginning to spread. And so on. Despite sharing some key characteristics and qualities, each invasive species has different contexts and qualities that need to be considered when managing them, which only makes their successful management all the more rewarding.
Q: What excites you most about joining the LIISMA team?
I’m grateful to the prior experience I’ve had with eradicating invasive species, as it allowed me to develop an interest in the other aspects of their management; namely invasive species detection, research, and treatment planning. It is incredibly exciting, therefore, to have the opportunity to work with the LIISMA team as now I get the privilege to pick the brains of the experts themselves as it means that I am not only going to witness how they approach invasive species, but that I am able to take part in that effort as well. Going forward, I’m looking forward to getting to know the other team members and what brought them to LIISMA, and to really dive deeper into the approach that LIISMA employs.
Q: Tell us about a favorite project you’ve worked on in the past.
Thanks to the support of the communities surrounding the Chimborazo volcano and my study abroad mentors, I have really fond memories from my time in Ecuador where I worked to delineate the local plant-pollinator network of the high-altitude Páramo ecosystems. What drew me to the project initially was the plant diversity there. To be frank, a lot of the plants struck me as bizarre—waxy and sharp, miniscule in stature, or growing in repeating ball-like clumps over the span of football fields. As I later learned, these oddities are the result of the extreme conditions which guided their evolution, with freezing temperatures at night, but also extreme sun exposure during the day, thus leading to a set of species which are now found nowhere else in the world. The more I learned, the more I started to wonder what kinds of pollinators were being hosted by this unique set of plant species, and that’s how my research project began!
Connecting this project back to invasive species work, a key component of conservation is the act of monitoring, whether it be for native biodiversity, alien species, or how ecosystems or ecological relationships are persisting over time. I think that my time in Ecuador really solidified the importance of observation to me, as my curiosity for that research project started off more casual and became more intensive once I started conducting formal surveys. I try to be as attentive as possible when I’m outside. You never know what you might see!
Q: Do you have a favorite native plant or natural place on Long Island?
My answer will definitely keep changing as the season goes on, but right now my favorite native is Apios americana, although it is more commonly known as hopniss, groundnut or potatobean. It is a vining plant in the legume family (Fabaceae) that has had a long history of being an food source for the indigenous groups of the Eastern United States. I will say though that the part of the plant that was most sought after is not immediately obvious. Although the plant produces striking clusters of cinnamon-colored flowers and even beans—both of which are edible—the most nutritious component of hopniss is actually its underground tubers, which are supposed to be potato-like in starchiness, though far exceeding a potato in its protein content.
I stumbled upon this species while helping with a native plant sale, and ended up with three small individuals of my own. Albeit an unplanned addition to my garden, it has already established itself in my yard, and I’m excited to watch it grow and maybe make a dish with it in the future!
Q: What do you hope to accomplish or learn this summer?
As much as my body and brain will allow, really. Whether it be through on-the-ground work or research, I want to help expand the legacy of strategic invasive species management that LIISMA has created. I’m hoping to pick up a few things along the way though, including a better grasp on the local biodiversity, what goes into forming an invasive species management plan, current research on invasive species treatments, and most importantly, how I can apply all that knowledge into my own work this summer and going forward. I’m thrilled to learn how I can become a better steward, and how this experience will expand my perspective on how to better effect conservation work in general.