Standing Up to Phragmites
Phragmites line Wilderness Point Road. Fishers Island Gazette Photo
Phragmites: A relentless enemy. The towering reeds grow an inch apart and are choking the Island’s tidal marshes, overtaking native vegetation and leaving no room for ducks, herons and egrets to land.
For years, Fishers Island’s wetlands and coastal areas have been mostly helpless against the onslaught of invasive phragmites, but FIConservancy has a plan.
This November, The Pond and Lake Connection, an aquatic services company, will begin a three-year treatment program to eradicate phragmites on 8.2 acres on the West End. This effort is part of FIConservancy’s overall restoration program to bring back native vegetation and eliminate invasive plant species.
The predicted success of this three-year plan is also meant to be a model for Island property owners who are looking for solutions to their own phragmites problems.
Four maps (above) indicate unchecked phragmites targeted by FIConservancy. Blue and purple areas will be treated. Green areas are not part of the FIConservancy initiative.