When LIISMA staff visited the Sayville subunit of Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge this month with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), interns jumped at the chance to identify the common invasive plants that edge the maritime grasslands. They’re already familiar with these opportunistic species from their field projects– multiflora rose, autumn olive, and red barberry being just three of the 50 they record across the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Between mapping invasive plants, monitoring birds, and inventorying fish, our partners at the USFWS are busy in the field this summer.
Crouched in the grassland, interns in the American Conservation Experience (ACE) and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) programs crowd around one plant after another– documenting leaf arrangement, petal number, and even the plant’s scent. The Sayville subunit is closed to the public to protect this habitat from invasive species and protect the species who call this site home. Visits to Sayville Grassland are a treat for any nature enthusiast, with big bluestem, goats rue, false indigo, and even protected species like sandplain agalinis popping up in the patchworked fields. Leading a plant identification workshop for these interns, we take the opportunity not only to point out our invasive species, but also to practice identifying native plants with field guides.
Trips like this provide a learning opportunity for all, and complement the multi-year invasive plant mapping project that USFWS is committed to. In 2021, the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex adopted the Regional Protocol Framework for the Inventory of Invasive Plants released by the Northeast Region (R5) of the USFWS. By identifying, locating, and mapping invasive plants on refuge lands, the team works towards creating integrated pest management programs.
In practice, the effort is systematic. Areas of the refuge are broken up into 50×50 meter grids, with staff zig-zagging the square in a V, Z, or W shaped transect within. Along the way they are collecting loads of data– identifying and estimating percent cover for each invasive plant species.
Apart from invasive species projects, USFWS interns are spread across many initiatives. Some staff are busy with biweekly birding surveys at Wertheim NWR, looking for migratory birds in the summer and overwintering waterfowl in the winter. Others stick to the shoreline– monitoring populations and nesting of threatened and endangered species (piping plovers, least terns, American oystercatchers) at Elizabeth A. Morton and Amagansett National Wildlife Refuges. Still others work on inventory of fish and crustaceans in the salt marshes of Wertheim, Lido Beach, and Seatuck, keeping track of changes in the estuarine environment.
With such varied experiences and areas of expertise, we’re always delighted to work with the early career professionals and staff of the USFWS. A major thank you to Azizah Benjamin, Natalie Ammerata (ACE Invasive Species Members), Jacob Baker and Mathew Amoedo (ACE Shorebird Monitoring and Biology Support Members), Kas Oakes (ACE Biology Support Member), Ren Staggs (SCA Intern), and of course Juliana Merluccio and Brooke Shellman (USFWS Biological Science Technicians) for your partnership!
