Handwicking invasive Phragmites along the Lake Huron shoreline. Photo courtesy of D. Jacobs

Non-native Phragmites is managed throughout the Great Lakes region by organizations and individuals working under varying circumstances toward diverse goals. As a result, managers develop different strategies to address their specific needs, and the opportunity to learn from their successes and challenges is huge. To that end, the Great Lakes Commission has established the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative (GLPC), a regional partnership, to improve communication and collaboration and lead to more coordinated, efficient and strategic approaches to Phragmites management, restoration and research across the basin.

In coordination with four partner groups, the GLPC recently released a collection of unique case studies that provide management guidance for any scale and showcase representative successes and challenges. The GLPC team is excited to maintain Best Practice Case Studies for Non-Native Phragmites as a living document, updating it as partners refine their strategies, and adding studies over time.

The case studies supplement existing management guidelines and best practices by providing clear examples of how those guidelines are put into practice on the ground. They include specific projects, steps, and results, template materials, example schedules, management plans, and links to relevant resources. They contain discussions of challenges that have been addressed and lessons learned, to help provide insights to others who are making decisions about their own programs. The case studies will be useful to those who are new to non-native Phragmites management as well as to those expanding or refining their existing management programs.

At this time, the GLPC has compiled four diverse case studies. This suite of studies covers a wide range of topics, such as early detection of small stands, management of large stands, volunteer-led programs, and management conducted by professionals. More studies and additional interactive content, such as interviews and videos, will be added over the coming months. You can stay updated by following the GLPC website, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

And if your group or organization is interested in submitting materials to be developed into a full case study, let the GLPC team know by emailing [email protected].