Nassau and Suffolk resume fight against invasive species

Jerry Pond Park, a tranquil oasis in Roslyn’s historic district where geese love to swim, is being attacked by a seemingly harmless criminal: flowering plants.

This plant is known as common reed grass (Phragmites australis) and is an invasive species. Although popular on Long Island, they do not filter rainwater or prevent erosion.

The Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District has a plan and, as of Monday, funding to implement it. The district received a $248,372 grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for invasive species control at Roslyn Park, Mutton Town Preserve, Lido West Town Park and Hempstead Plains Preserve.

This was part of more than $900,000 in grants awarded to Nassau and Suffolk counties to eliminate invasive species and restore damaged habitat. The funds were also used to remove invasive species after Superstorm Sandy and repair damage caused by pine beetles at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge.

Derek Betts, district manager for the Nassau Agency, said in an interview that invasive species such as reed grass can thrive on Long Island, but they don’t provide “ecological services” to the environment.

“It doesn’t hold up very well to storm surge, it doesn’t hold up very well to erosion,” Betts said. “And they don’t provide the filtration benefits that many of our deep-seed species have.”

Betts said Roslyn Park, built in 1930, has an upper pond and wetland area filled with flowering plants. Other invasive plants that may be removed as part of the effort include multiflora roses, ivy, Japanese knotweed, honeysuckle, tree of heaven and bittersweet nightshade.

Betts said the district will then plant native wetland trees and shrubs, including red and silver maples and arrowwood viburnum.

Muttontown, Hempstead Project

The Mutton Town Preserve project will remove burning shrubs with potential accompanying invasive plants such as Oriental bittersweet, multiflora rose, Norway maple and privet.

Betts said the agency plans to plant an array of ground cover, forest trees and shrubs to “green the understory and combat invasive species.”

In the Town of Hempstead, Asiatic sedges that formed after Superstorm Sandy will be removed from Lido West Town Park. In their place are “deep-rooted plants” such as small bluestem, seaside goldenrod and American beach grass.

Invasive species such as multiflora roses and autumn olives will also be removed from the Hempstead Plains Preserve. A pilot reseeding project using ecotype Long Island seeds will “further strengthen the resiliency of the seed bank,” Betts said.

Ship inspection

The state also donated more than $600,000 to Suffolk efforts, including a $224,869 award to the Southampton Township Bird Society to “remediate ecological damage caused by the invasive southern pine beetle in the Quogue Wildlife Refuge,” according to a DEC news release.

The nonprofit Save the Great South Bay received a $65,750 grant in December.

Robin Silvestri, executive director of Save the Great South Bay, said the money will help fund free inspections of boats for invasive species such as red seaweed, feather weed, green crab and devil’s tongue weed.

Silvestri said in a phone interview that the invasive species has been found to be spreading throughout the Great South Bay by grabbing onto watercraft and washing ashore.

She added that some types of red seaweed “smell to heaven.” Algae “has become a big problem in the last few years,” she says.

“We’re looking at whether boats are spreading invasive species from one body of water to another,” Silvestri said.

The grant will fund two workers who will be responsible for public boat launching operations on the South Shore between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Silvestri said. The nonprofit hopes to launch the program in May, she said.

Stony Brook University received a total of $272,569 for two projects to combat invasive species, including one on the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton Town.

Monica Bugaro, the university’s interim vice president for research and innovation, said in a statement that the program “advances our scientific understanding and strengthens our partnerships with local communities, including the Shinnecock Nation. Together, we are in a stronger position to translate research into practical solutions that help protect natural resources and support long-term sustainability.”

Newsday’s Carl MacGowan contributed to this article.