On August 24, LIISMA staff Abby Bezrutczyk, Bill Jacobs, and Melody Penny surveyed Conscience Bay in Setauket by kayak for perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) and saltcedar (Tamarix spp.).
Conscience Bay is located approximately three quarters of a mile from one of two known infestations of perennial pepperweed in New York. Perennial pepperweed is being managed by the Town of Brookhaven at nearby West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook, with assistance from GEI Consultants. LIISMA has surveyed nearby areas, including Conscience Bay and Stony Brook Harbor, to determine the full extent of its population.
Perennial pepperweed is a highly invasive perennial that occurs mostly in freshwater wetlands and brackish coastal marshes. Dense stands of perennial pepperweed outcompete with native species and create poor habitat for native wildlife. Perennial pepperweed is known to act as a “salt pump” bringing salts from deep in the soil up through the roots and depositing them on the soil surface. The increased soil salinity further inhibits growth of existing native plants or prevents them from re-establishing in an already infested area.
LIISMA staff surveyed the southern half of Conscience Bay, in areas that are more likely to be moderately brackish, with freshwater influence from the shore. No pepperweed was observed.
Additionally, LIISMA staff monitored an infestation of saltcedar on the west side of the bay that had first been observed by GEI ecologists several years ago. The saltcedar appears to have been planted, and fortunately has not spread to other areas of the bay. See more information about saltcedar here, and participate in the LIFER challenge to help LIISMA understand its extent.
LIISMA thanks the Peconic Land Trust for providing a kayak launch site.
