February 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 43

co NservAtI o N
By richard J. dolesh

Controlling Invasive Species
An important conservation Priority or
a Waste of time and Money?

he controL oF invasive sPecies is becoming an increasingly important man-

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agement consideration-and a challenge-for many park and recreation agencies. Depending on the type of species (plant, animal, or insect), the presence
of invasive species in parks can impact recreation opportunities for the public, destroy
native wildflowers and wildlife, result in significant economic damage, and generally
provide a huge headache for land managers and the public.

While some invasive species are capturing national headlines, such as the more than 100,000 Burmese
pythons now estimated to be thriving in South Florida, other species are often far under the radar of the
media and the public. Whether they are in the public
eye or not, invasive species are estimated to be causing nearly $140 billion in damage annually to the U.S.
economy, and their competition with native species
is affecting the survival of more than 40 percent of all
federally listed threatened and endangered species.
Is the control of invasive species an important
conservation priority for public park and recreation
agencies? Some managers say yes, that it is absolutely critical to take measures to prevent and control
the damage from invasive species. Others, however, say no; it's just too much for park and recreation
agencies to take on. After all, controlling well-established invasive species is mostly a lost cause anyway,
not to mention that funds for control of invasives often must come from existing operating budgets. And
in support of those who say that many of our native
ecosystems have been altered beyond repair, some
scientific evidence is emerging that the removal of
certain invasive fruiting plant species could have a
negative effect on native birds. Clearly, there are opposing points of view on the amount of time, effort,
and funds that should be expended on the control of
invasive species in parks. As the largest landowners
and managers of open space in most jurisdictions,
park and recreation agencies are the most visible of
all the public sector land managers when it comes to
dealing with the impacts of invasive species, even if
primary responsibility for control measures might lie
with state or local departments of agriculture, natural
resources, or environmental resources.

The National Invasive Species Management Plan,
prepared by a council of experts from 13 federal
agencies, calls for the national response to invasive
species to be: " Prepare, Prevent, and Protect. " At the
local, regional, and state level, many park systems
have been working on controlling invasive species for
years, but some have only recently started to engage
in prevention, management, and restoration activities.
Techniques for controlling invasives run the
gamut from simple human-powered pulling, digging, and chopping to multiple-pronged strategies
involving mechanical, chemical, and biological controls, sometimes employed simultaneously. Many
agencies have instituted Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs to reduce the use of herbicides and insecticides as well as reducing costs of
control. Controlling large-scale invasive plant infestations may also involve controlled burns.
Most park agencies that are working to control invasive species use volunteers in some fashion. Dave
Moilanen, director of Huron-Clinton Metroparks in
Michigan, says, " We use a combination of paid staff and
volunteers to do invasive species control in the HuronClinton Metroparks. Full-time and part-time staff have
developed master plans for most of the Metroparks with
regard to habitat management. We've prioritized areas
for stewardship activities, identifying habitats that are
high floristic quality and then have developed management plans for each of these. We then use primarily
part-time staff, but also some of our full-time interpretive
staff, to organize, promote, and conduct volunteer stewardship work days. We have had pretty good success at
obtaining volunteers for these work days. " In addition,
many agencies have made invasive species control a
key component of youth stewardship activities.

cuban tree Frog

The National
Invasive Species
Management Plan,
prepared by a
council of experts
from 13 federal
agencies, calls for
the national
response to
invasive species to
be: " Prepare,
Prevent, and
Protect. "

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February 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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