The Nature Conservancy & Central Pine Barrens Commission Hire Interns To Help Control Invasives

Interns will Assess Risks to Natural Plant and Animal Communities in Pine Barrens

Central Pine Barrens, Long Island, NY—August 14, 2006—The Central Pine Barrens Commission and The Nature Conservancy announced today the hiring of two interns as part of an Invasive Plant Inventory and Assessment Project.

The interns, Susan Dobbertin and Elisha Gibson, from Akron, OH and Springfield, MA respectively, have begun surveying and mapping occurrences of invasive terrestrial and aquatic plant species on the public lands in the Pine Barrens for the future delineation of relatively weed-free areas, known as Weed Prevention Areas, that may be best suited for prevention, early detection, and rapid control measures. They will be keeping track of this data in a database that feeds into the current Long Island-wide invasive plant database.

“Invasive species are a threat to our biodiversity, second only to habitat loss,” New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional Director and Chairman of the Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission Peter A. Scully said. “This cooperative effort between Suffolk County Water Authority, The Nature Conservancy and Central Pine Barrens Commission will help provide land managers with the information they need to protect public lands in the Pine Barrens from invasive species that could damage this unique and highly-valued environment.”

“Invasive species are the second biggest threat to our natural lands, after habitat loss,” said Kathy Schwager, Invasive Species Specialist for the Nature Conservancy on Long Island. “One of the most effective ways to limit their spread is through early detection and rapid response, in which our interns will play a key role.”

The Central Pine Barrens Commission, through the Commission’s Protected Lands Council and the Suffolk County Water Authority, hired the interns. The Invasive Species Specialist for the Nature Conservancy on Long Island, Kathy Schwager, has provided training and field supervision.

The internship will foster an open exchange of data relating to invasive species in the Central Pine Barrens that will help land managers and stewards plan and prioritize invasive plant management actions and strategies. Future partnerships are expected and will result in further sharing of invasive species data. One partnership is with the Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA) which represents a cooperative effort of numerous government, private, research, and other types of organizations, plus individual citizens, interested in the control of invasive and nonnative plants throughout Long Island, NY. The Pine Barrens Commission hosts the meetings of the LIISMA, which works closely with the Protected Lands Council.

“This cooperative effort is a good example of the overall partnership fostered in Suffolk to protect our unique environment,” said Suffolk County Water Authority Chairman Michael LoGrande. “A large part of protecting the environment rests on researching and understanding it. By coming together as a team, with programs like this internship and the invasive species mapping project, we are able to better fulfill our roles as stewards of the environment.”