Media Release
November 7, 2023 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON – Greenough Harbour Preservation Association of Bruce County, ON, was awarded a grant from the Green Shovels Collaborative’s Invasive Phragmites Control Fund to combat the invasive plant, Phragmites.
This project joins 20 others from across Ontario that were supported through the Invasive Phragmites Control Fund, a granting program made possible by an expanded investment of $250,000 from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Invasive Phragmites is an aggressive plant that spreads quickly and poses a considerable threat to Ontario’s environment and economy. Phragmites outcompetes native species for water and nutrients. Growing up to 5 metres in height and up to 1 metre below ground, Phragmites forms dense stands that generally provide poor habitat and food for wildlife, including several species at risk. Once established, Phragmites can degrade local environments including reducing biological diversity, impacting infrastructure, agriculture, recreation, tourism, and public safety.
Investing in a collaborative, sustained solution to Phragmites is well worth it. A 2021 study estimated total economic benefits realized by controlling Phragmites could exceed $113 million annually in Ontario. An investment in scaled Phragmites control would pay dividends in preventing the many costs of Phragmites to Ontario through reduced agricultural production, reduced public access to water, increased flooding, and lost tourism revenue.
The community of Greenough Harbour in the Northern Bruce Peninsula has been removing Phragmites from Gauley’s Bay since 2014. Targeted Phragmites Control in Stokes Bay and Gauley’s Bay is an ongoing, collaborative project using proven strategies to control the rapid spread of the invasive plant. Volunteers have been cutting the stalks of the Phragmites below the water level, and removing the stalks for composting until the heat has killed off any possibility of reproduction.
“We have been successful in greatly reducing the spread of Phragmites through annual control of this invasive plant,” said Andrea Flanagan, president of the Greenough Harbour Preservation Association. “This year, funding from the Invasive Phragmites Control Fund has made it possible for us to purchase a supply of hip waders. The waders keep volunteers dry as they cut Phragmite stalks in water that can be up to waist deep. Over the years, we have been fortunate to partner with Federation of Ontario Cottagers Association, Nature Conservancy of Canada, and Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association to rid Gauley’s Bay of this invasive plant and prevent its spread to adjacent lands.
