invasive species – Cedar Creek Corridor

2018 summer land management intern notes

Photo by Cathie Rowand

ACRES land management crew was quieter in late August 2018, having said goodbye to our team of ever-laughing, occasionally-singing, summer interns. The team disbanded, cheerfully* returning to classrooms across the state, having gained experience they’ll not soon forget.

I think one of my most favorite things from the internship was getting to work with Purdue Fort Wayne and the University of Saint Francis to do a portion of the creek study at Little Cedar. Being able to experience what some field work is like was amazing, and I found it was something I really enjoyed.”
– Phoebe Habeck, a Purdue University Forestry student.

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ACRES Land Trust, partners, fight invasive Japanese stiltgrass

ACRES Land Trust, with regional partners, is fighting to eradicate Japanese stiltgrass, a non-native invasive plant common to southern Indiana and the eastern United States and newly identified in northern Indiana in late fall, 2015.

Japanese stiltgrass can crowd out native plants, reducing tree regeneration and slowing the growth of tree seedlings and existing plants, creating a monoculture. It is an annual plant, spread by seed, often by foot. Japanese stiltgrass thrives in a variety of soil and light conditions.

*In January 2016, ACRES Land Trust temporarily closed its Little Cedar Creek Wildlife Sanctuary to prevent the spread of the invasion throughout the region, a first for the nonprofit.*

Little Cedar Creek, which borders the preserve where the invasive was first found and the 100-acre area where the species has invaded, is a tributary of Cedar Creek. Cedar Creek is one of three rivers in the state designated under the 1973 Indiana Natural, Scenic and Recreational Rivers Act.

Ben Hess, then Regional Ecologist, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Nature Preserves, spotted the non-native plant during a routine assessment of the preserve. This plant was not on the watch list at the time, as it had never been seen before; it was growing in such abundance, it caught his attention.

2018 summer land management intern notes

ACRES Land Trust, partners, fight invasive Japanese stiltgrass

Join ACRES Land Trust in protecting land.