Skip to content
  • Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is now open visit FutureForWildlife.org/reopen for details.
  • For Outdoor Education programs, visit clevelandmetroparks.com/knowbeforeyougo - Nature Centers remain closed.
  • For updated closures visit clevelandmetroparks.com/COVID-19.
  • About
  • Submit a tip
  • Contact the Police: 440.331.5530
  • Emergency: 440.333.4911
  • Users with low vision can activate this option to help them read text.
  • Users prone to seizures can deactivate this option to ensure that the site does not cause any blinking animations.
  • Allow content to change automatically
  • Accessibility Information
  • Cart
  • Sign In
Home
  • Parks
  • Zoo
  • Golf
  • Dining
View All Results

    Attack Of The Aliens - Invasive Plants In Cleveland Metroparks

    News & Press | July 2011

    Attack of the Aliens - Invasive Plants in Cleveland Metroparks

    Posted: July 6, 2011
    Share Post
    Archive
      No data found

     



    FOR IMMEDIATE
    RELEASE:                                         



    JULY 6, 2011 



     



    FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:



    BOB ROTATORI - 216-635-3263 -OR-



    ERIC BARNETT - 216-635-7014



     



    They are far from home, but they're everywhere you look. They're
    pushing our biodiversity around like neighborhood bullies. And,
    Cleveland Metroparks is fighting back harder than ever against
    invasive plants in the Park District.



     



    Invasive plants are not the same as lawn or garden weeds,
    although they share many traits. These plants establish and spread
    quickly to form dense monocultures in native habitats. They can
    disrupt essential relationships between animals, plants and the
    environment, such as food supplies, breeding habitat, water
    availability, and the physical structure and components of
    ecosystems. Invasive plants can arrive in waves, with multiple
    species moving in together, creating cascading negative effects on
    local biological diversity. In the worst cases, invasive plants are
    game-changers, actually altering or degrading natural functions of
    ecosystems, such as water quality or soil chemistry.



     



    Cleveland Metroparks has its share of the worst invaders of
    Northeast Ohio, including woody species (shrubs and trees), wetland
    invaders, and upland grasses and forbs. The scope of the problem is
    impressive: conservative estimates across the Park District put the
    acreage of invasive plant populations at 1,000 to 1,400 acres. This
    translates to an average cover of 11% per reservation, with a range
    from one percent invaded area to 64 percent!



     



    Some of the invasive plants include, but are not limited to:
    buckthorns, honeysuckles, Japanese barberry, multifloral rose, and
    Norway maple (woody species); cattails, phragmites, purple
    loosestrife, and reed canarygrass (wetland species); and garlic
    mustard, Japanese knotweed and lesser celandine (upland
    species).



     



    Park District staff has been removing invasive plants for
    decades. Now the Natural Resources Division and Park Operations
    Department have joined forces for a multi-year, park-wide plan
    targeting the worst of the plants. The action plan includes mapping
    and prioritization of sites and species, seasonal "control
    teams" for in-house control supplemented by contract labor on
    some huge populations, and the development of volunteer "early
    detection teams" to survey, assess and map invasives at all
    the reservations.



     



    This summer park visitors might see evidence of the work,
    including all-terrain vehicles, brush removal crews, and selective
    spray teams. Changes may be noticed, including "missing"
    shrub layers and patches of dead vegetation. Bright pink
    "Invasive Plant Management Area" stake flags will be
    placed in work areas. And, the abatement of the
    "invasives" and the recovery of the "natives"
    should be evident.



     



    In addition, Cleveland Metroparks Outdoor Education Division
    also invites the public to get involved with the efforts to
    eradicate invasive plants. The following programs are offered to
    park visitors in May:



     



    Help Stop the Invasion



    Sunday, May 3  � 2 - 4 p.m.



    BrecksvilleNatureCenter � Brecksville
    Reservation



    The forests are being invaded by garlic mustard. Help us fight
    back and  pull this invasive plant to help protect our Park
    District. Join Naturalist Kelly McGinnis over hills and off-trail
    for 1 to 2 miles in search of garlic mustard.
    BrecksvilleNatureCenter is located off Chippewa Creek Drive, off
    the Route 82 entrance of Brecksville Reservation in Brecksville.
    For more information, call 440-526-1012.



     



    The Wrath on Grapes II



    Saturday, May 9  � 8:30 a.m. -  12:30
    p.m.



    Squaw Rock Picnic Area parking lot � South Chagrin
    Reservation



    Beat back the alien invaders with Chief Naturalist Bob Hinkle.
    This month, South Chagrin Reservation is the target in the quest to
    cut and destroy alien grape vine thickets that threaten our
    valuable hardwood forests. Hand tools provided. Participants need
    to bring gloves, water and snacks. Registration is required for
    this program for adults and children, ages 14 to 18 with parent or
    adult guardian. Squaw Rock Picnic Area parking lot is located off
    Hawthorn Parkway in South Chagrin Reservation, east of SOM Center
    Road/Route 91 in Bentleyville. For more information or to register,
    call 216-341-9225.



     



    Garlic Mustard Hunt



    Saturday, May 9  � 1:30 - 3 p.m. at
    Johnson's Picnic Area OR
    3:30 - 5 p.m. at Hinckley
    Hills Trailhead



    Hinckley Reservation



    What could be nicer than spending a May afternoon in Hinckley
    Reservation? Helping Mother Nature while you're at it! Help control
    invasive garlic mustard in beautiful Hinckley Reservation before it
    becomes established. Tools and light refreshments provided.
    Registration, beginning May 1, is required. Directions to specified
    program start locations will be given upon registration. For more
    information and to register, call 440-526-1012.



     



    Park visitors can help halt the "Attack of the Aliens"
    by getting involved with eradication efforts of invasive plants in
    Cleveland Metroparks - part of your life,
    naturally
    .



     



    -30-



     

    PREV POST Register For Golf Course Championships of the Greater Cleveland Amateur Championship
    NEXT POST Groove with Two Stages of Live Music at "Brookstock - A Celebration of Music & Nature"
    Stay Up To Date
    • 4101 Fulton Parkway, Cleveland OH 44144
    • 216.635.3200
    • generalinfo@clevelandmetroparks.com
    • Police:
    • Submit a tip
    • 440.331.5530
    • Emergency: 440.333.4911
    • Text Emergencies to 911 (Cuyahoga County)
    • Parks
      • Visit
      • Calendar
      • Education
      • Recreation
      • Shop
      • Support
    • Golf
      • Courses
      • Lessons & Events
      • Pricing
      • About
      • Book A Tee Time
    • Zoo
      • Tickets & Attractions
      • Programs & Events
      • Wildlife Conservation
      • Education
      • Animals
      • Buy Tickets
    • About
      • Cleveland Metroparks Organization
      • Education
      • Recreation
      • Conservation
      • Employment
      • Contact Us
    • Programs & Events
    • News & Press
    • Board Meetings
    • Privacy Policy
    Home
    © 2021 Cleveland Metroparks. All Rights Reserved.