Hope in the Story from Mentor Marsh

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seed heads of Phragmites australis (photo by from a video by the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative)

based on a story from Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative



All too often, you may have seen stands of tall tan grass dominating marshes and crowding out all other plants. Perhaps you wondered if this was a healthy ecosystem, and if something should be done.

If what you have noticed is Phragmites australis (frag-MY-teez) it's a biological disaster. Not many places are working on solutions. But the city of Mentor, Ohio, near Clevland has set an example that could be followed elsewhere.

Mentor Marsh, located in north-eastern Ohio is a success story at removal of the invasive and aggressive Phragmites grass. It forms dense mono-cultures, out-competing native plants.

The marsh covers approximately 800 acres. Beginning in the 1960s, the dumping of waste from a nearby salt production facility increased the salt levels in a tributary stream. Since Phragmites will tolerate salt water, it moved in, quickly displacing native vegetation in Black Brook Creek which flows into the marsh, a former channel of the Grand River.

Phragmites grows so densely packed that the dead stalks become a fire hazard. Since the 1980's there have been twelve major fires at the site, threatening nearby homes. The most recent fire, in 2013, destroyed the boardwalk by which people could access the marsh. When that was rebuilt, workers cleared Phragmites from a ten-foot buffer on each side of the pathway. Native plants quickly returned to this space.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History manages the marsh. In collaboration with Lake County Soil and Water Conservation district, plans were drawn up to restore the entire site. Over subsequent years, an approved herbicide was both sprayed on the plants, and hand applied. Spraying gives better results with more even application, preventing localized high dosages. Low dosages protected sensitive wildlife. After the plants were dead, marsh buggies were used to reach all areas and remove the Phragmites.

Over 200 million native-plant seeds were then introduced, both by helicopter and by hand.

Biodiversity has returned, both of plants and wildlife. Ongoing monitoring will assure that the Phragmites does not return.

There is a native Phragmites that is not aggressive, but it's seldom found anymore since P. australis has spread throughout the United States.

Watch a 2-minute video of the transformation of Mentor Marsh:




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