Newtown One Of Two Towns Receiving Grants

To Fight Mile-A-Minute Vine

By John Voket

After a brief moment of shocked silence, Rob Sibley, Newtown’s deputy director of land use, let out a victorious shout.

“That’s fantastic!” he yelled in reaction to news that Newtown will be just one of two towns statewide receiving grants to help defeat the spread of the invasive mile-a-minute vine, which is currently choking the life out of numerous native species on public and private property across the community.

The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced October 29 that Newtown is receiving funding for one of four projects designed to control the highly invasive nonnative plants.

Projects in New Milford and Newtown are targeting the mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliata), while separate projects in Litchfield and Morris will address an infestation of fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana) in the upper Bantam River and its outlet into Bantam Lake.

Funding will also support ongoing efforts to eradicate water chestnut (Trapa natans) from a flood control pond in the City of Hartford.

The $115,000 in funding for these projects comes from Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) payments made to DEP as part of the resolution of enforcement actions. These funds are used to support for environmentally beneficial projects, according to a release.

“The introduction and spread of invasive plants in Connecticut poses a serious threat to our native ecosystems, and can affect the ecological, recreational, and economic interests of the state,” said DEP Commissioner Amey Marrella. “This means that when resources become available we must take all possible steps to prevent the spread of these highly invasive species.”

Three of the projects — Newtown, New Milford, Litchfield — had been the highest ranked project proposals from a now-defunct invasive plants grants program. They were selected from more than 40 project proposals that had been submitted to a program that had been known as “Grants to Municipalities for Control of Invasive Plants.”

Mr Sibley was quick to credit the persistence of his agency’s personnel in helping to capture the grant.

“This will help us to better understand our ecosystem, and how to protect its natural beauty and functions,” Mr Sibley said.

Ms Marrella said four of the funded projects are critical in the fight to prevent the spread of invasive species.

“Mile-a-minute vine is relatively new to Connecticut and has a limited distribution, so there is still a chance of preventing its widespread dispersal,” she said. The local mile-a-minute vine control project will involve volunteers led by Newtown land use staff, who will conduct precontrol monitoring at sites with mile-a-minute vine, and will hold outreach events for mile-a-minute vine awareness and public education.

In addition, the town will use a combination of hand-pulling, mowing, biological controls and herbicide applications to control mile-a-minute vine at multiple locations. Weed barriers may also be used, and areas controlled will be reseeded with native plant seed mix.

According to Ms Marrella, the project may be used as a template for other future invasive plant removal efforts in the town.

The other mile-a-minute vine control project in New Milford, funded at $14,000, will promote a combination of hand-pulling, biological control, mowing and herbicides to control invasive mile-a-minute vine in several locations, including along roadsides.