This month DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks is taking steps to address 170 acres of land at Presque Isle State Park in Erie County that is inundated with the invasive plant species Narrow-leaf Cattail and Phragmite.

A helicopter will be making aerial applications of an herbicide and a portion of the park will be closed during the spraying.

The presence of these plants is damaging to the native plants as well as the overall habitat and ecosystem health on the park.

This work is being done as part of an inclusive project to remove invasive plants from Presque Isle. During the summer, park interns and staff members worked to push back invasive plants on more than 450 acres of park land by pulling, digging, cutting, or treating them with herbicide.

The largest areas of infested areas can’t be controlled effectively by people on the ground, so the helicopter will assist with the application of herbicide in these areas.

All of the chemicals utilized in this treatment process are labeled for aquatic use, meaning they have been tested in aquatic environment and pose little to no risk to aquatic species.

All of the treatment areas have been permitted for the application of herbicide by the  Fish and Boat Commission as well as the Department of Environmental Protection.

(Reprinted from the October 10 DCNR Resource online newsletter.)

10/15/2012