Volunteers Sought To Battle Invasives At Audubon Center

The battle to eradicate invasive plants is ongoing at The Audubon Center at Bent of the River, and center director John Longstreth is determined to win the war.

“We’ve taken out tons of bittersweet, barberry, and autumn olive in the hopes of encouraging the native species that nourish local wildlife,” Mr Longstreth said at a recent presentation for the Horticulture Club of Newtown.

Beginning in the spring and continuing through fall, a hardy, spirited and dedicated group of volunteers spends two hours every other Monday pulling and digging and lopping the nonnative vines and shrubs to halt the spreading alien plants. In addition to improving the local ecosystem, this activity helps the Audubon Center qualify to receive grants for invasives management and the restoration of wildlife habitats.

Volunteers are the crux of this effort and more are needed, according to Mr Longstreth.

Oriental bittersweet creeps up tree trunks snakelike, wrapping itself around branches and slowly squeezing the life out of the tree. Barberry works surreptitiously underground, spreading its roots and sprouting offspring that run rampant and, like territorial gangs, take over an entire area that they protect from others unlike them. Autumn olive, prolific (producing 80 pounds of fruit in a season that birds scatter about) and tenacious of life (it is very hard to kill), creates shade that suppresses the growth of other plants.

These “invasive” plants are nonnative to the United States and, along with invasive animals and microorganisms, account for widespread damage to bird and wildlife habitat. Many of America’s most imperiled birds are threatened by invasive species and experts throughout the scientific and academic communities, as well as government and industry leaders, are recognizing invasive species as one of the most serious environmental threats of the 21st Century.

To be part of the solution, call the center at 203-264-5098.

Bent of the River Audubon Center is on East Flat Hill Road in Southbury, about a half mile from Route 172 off of I-84 (Exit 14).