Protecting Whetstone Brook Riparian Zones; Invasive Plant Management Project
The Southeast Vermont Cooperative Invasive Species Management Association (SEVT CISMA) is mapping terrestrial invasive plants growing within the Whetstone Brook watershed as part of our Protecting Whetstone Brook Riparian Zones: Mapping, Planning, and Outreach Project. We will be working with residents within the Whetstone Brook watershed to record and map invasive plants using iNaturalist. Participating residents will be provided with relevant invasive plant management resources. The project also involves demonstration workshops and the creation of an invasive plant management plan for the Whetstone Brook watershed. The project is funded by the Vermont Watershed Grant program.
If you are interested in having an SE VT CISMA member evaluate and record the invasive plants on your property, please email us.
Proposed Management Plan
Report Summary
The monitoring efforts resulted in 61 observers with 33 invasive plant species observed on iNaturalist. The project had 632 total observations, shown in figure 1 and appendix C. The most common invasive observed was oriental bittersweet (Celastrus
orbiculatus) with 108 observations, followed by glossy and common buckthorn (Frangula alnus and Rhamnus cathartica, respectively) with 95 observations. The third-most observed invasive was knotweed (Reynoutria species) with 76 observations.
The top ten invasive plants observed using iNaturalist are shown in table 1 and figure 2 illustrates the distribution of invasive plants species found in the watershed.
The Southeast VT CISMA recommends a multi-year mechanical and chemical invasive management strategy, focused along Route 9 and in downtown Brattleboro to target oriental bittersweet, buckthorn, and knotweed invasive plants. This management strategy should also include Early Detection and Rapid Response for invasives that are new to our area including Japanese stiltgrass.
