About 45 volunteers descended on Great Pond, near Kenney’s Beach in Southold on Aug. 23 to remove invasive phragmite reeds, which have choked out native species at the edge of the pond for decades.
Southold Town, The Group for the East End and the Kenney’s/McCabe’s Beach Civic Association are partnering on the project, which is made possible by a Long Island Sound Study grant through the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.
On Aug. 23, volunteers cut phragmites by hand, carrying them out to the street, where their seed heads were cut off and placed in black plastic trash bags to kill the seeds. The remaining parts of the reeds were piled to be picked up by crews from the Southold Highway Department.
The overall plan is to remove about two acres of phragmities, using manual cutting and a “hydrorake,” which removes the dense root system of these plants, which can spread through their roots as well as seeds.
After an hour of cutting, Saturday morning, volunteers were already beginning to see native plants that had been mixed in amongst the reeds, including shrubby St. John’s Wort, climbing hemp vine, native swamp loosestrife (not to be confused with invasive purple loosestrife) and American ground nut.
Kenney’s/McCabe’s Beach Civic Association member Bridget Rymer is spearheading her group’s involvement in the project, and she said after a trial cutting last year, she’s seen rose mallow and other species begin to grow where the phragmites had been, attracting birds and other pollinators.
“This is our first really big cleanup and we have people from all different groups,” said Ms. Rymer. “It’s gratifying to see so many people.”
She added that this is a very good time to cut phragmites, before the seeds are mature enough to spread when the plants are moved.
Group for the East End Outreach Director Taralynn Reynolds said many native vining plants have been able to co-exist with the phragmites, because they provide the vertical structure for their vines that had historically been provided by native cattails, which are now a rare sight.
“They’re plants that should exist in this habitat, and are still trying to grow amidst the phragmites,” she said. “This is what’s supposed to be here…. The really neat thing about plants in general is they try to find a way. It’s using the phrag to try to get more sunlight.”
“There are some remnant populations of cattails that are still trying to survive among phragmites — for example, at Arshamomaque Pond,” she added. “That used to be all cattails, but over time, phrag is going to do what phrag does, which is crowd it out. It has that competitive advantage over our native species…. It’s been here so long that people don’t really realize that it’s not supposed to be here. If you talk to locals who have lived out here for a long time, they will tell you they have memories of cattail swamps and cattail ponds and all the things that come along with having a native ecosystem. Part of what we’re trying to do with this work is restore the balance. Removing phragmites completely is really costly, but getting people to come out and do bi-yearly cuttings also has an educational component. They understand the significance of doing the work.”
Poison ivy, she said, is also a native plant, and while it was proving difficult for the phragmite cutters to avoid, they were trying to co-exist.
“Please let it be,” she said, adding that birds thrive on the plant’s berries. “It is a wildlife attractor.”
“People are seeing more birds,” said Ms. Rymer. “When they started cutting the phragmites, we couldn’t believe what came up, and every year more native plants came up and spread — blue flag iris and native hibiscus. As the phragmites come out, the plants miraculously appear — a whole variety of ferns.”
Ms. Reynolds said DEC permits are required to cut phragmites, and there are proper and improper ways to cut them. For example, pulling them out by the root, or ryzome, actually strengthens the plant. The phragmites cannot be composted because of how invasive they are, she added. The organizers of this project have DEC permits that also cover the homeowners around the lake, who have been trained to remove the phragmites properly.
“The next growing season, you’re going to see a difference,” she said. “That’s what’s really cool.”
“It’s so gratifying,” said Ms. Rymer. “You feel like, ‘I’m going to do this all the time, because I see the results — fish, birds, pollinators, butterflies and bees, like crazy.”
More volunteer sessions at the pond are being planned. Wear long sleeves! Visit thegroup.org for details.
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