Georgian Court University Magazine

Invasive Species Conference a Success
Dr. Wootton leads a preconference discussion
at Sandy Hook, one of New Jersey’s
few remaining natural barrier islands.
While plenty of people flock
to the shore for fun, it’s also
where scientists get down
to business. And for Georgian Court
University biology professor Louise
Wootton, Ph.D., that would be the
business of determining what types of
plants belong near the beach, and what
needs to go—namely, Carex kobomugi.
The problematic plant, also known
as Asiatic sand sedge, was among the
many topics discussed when GCU hosted
the July 16–17 conference on Invasive
Species in Coastal Dunes and Maritime
Forests. The event, co-sponsored by
GCU, the New Jersey Marine Sciences
Consortium/NJ Sea Grant and the
Cape May Plant Materials Center, drew
ecologists, marine scientists, educators,
and environmental managers from
Maine to South Carolina.
“Scientists don’t always have the
luxury of being in one place all at once,”
says Dr. Wootton, whose research has
examined how the sedge negatively
affects habitats, other plants, and animal
life. Attendees at the meeting shared
difficult experiences with beach vitex—a
woody plant that crowds out native
species and destroys the nesting habitat
of sea turtles—as well as Japanese
honeysuckle, English ivy and, of course,
Asiatic sand sedge.
But no matter what invasive species
is at issue, swift action is critical.
“If you attack it early, you’re looking
at saving money through early detection
and rapid response,” says Dr.Wootton.
“You save the ecosystem and money by
fixing it before the damage is done.”
Spotting the Species
A few weeks after the conference,
attendee Jonathan Chase, a biological
science technician at Maryland’s
Assateague Island National Seashore,
was out looking for the threatened
seabeach amaranth. The annual plant
that is supposed to grow on sandy
beaches along the mid-Atlantic coast has
struggled to survive since the 1990s.
“Guess what I found? Beach vitex,”
reads the e-mail Mr. Chase sent to the
conference group in September. “It was in
a dune swale…It was just a little guy, but
thanks to you guys, I was tuned in, turned
on, and it will soon be dropping out!”
The message, sent from his iPhone
with an embedded photo, started a chain
reaction. The picture was quickly posted
to the Beach Vitex Task Force Web site,
and GPS coordinates for the irksome plant
were shared and mapped on the Beach
Vitex Distribution Database.
The invasive
beach vitex
warrants its
own task force!
The incident illustrates how we can
work to halt problem species, according
to Dr. Wootton.
“Jon would not have recognized
it, nor would he have known its
significance, had he not been at the
conference and seen the presentations
on the species that we had,” she says.
“Because he knew what he was looking
at, he was able to remove the plant
before the species became established in
the area. Now he and his staff know to
look out for beach vitex in their park in
the future.”
A Growing Interest
Dr. Wootton’s ongoing work at the
dunes, along with the similar efforts of
others across the country, reflects a new
momentum in tracking invasive species.
“Now the study of invasive plants
is very trendy, but 12 years ago it
wasn’t so shiny and exciting,” says Dr.
Wootton. “Back then, almost nobody
was doing anything about it.”
Some scientists point to the
impact of the zebra mussel—the
invasive freshwater pest that disrupts
ecosystems, blocks pipelines, and
impacts municipal water supplies—
for spurring the recent increase in
awareness of the problems created
by invasive species. Other recent
invasions by species such as Chinese
mitten crabs and Longhorn beetles,
have also heightened public concern.
“When they hit so quickly, these
things come into public awareness,”
Dr. Wootton explains. “The damage
done by invasive species is costing
farmers, businesses, highways, and
other industries billions of dollars
every year. When you see numbers
like that, people tend to act.”
Conference keynote speaker
Randy Westbrooks, Ph.D., an invasive
species prevention specialist at the
U.S. Geological Survey, is pushing for
a national early detection and rapid
response system (EDRR) for invasive
plants. An international effort is
also underway, and officials like
Dr. Westbrooks are advocating for
programs to train citizen scientists.
Closer to home, Dr. Wootton
fields questions from residents and
township leaders about plants like
butterfly bush and kudzu. And at GCU,
student researchers recently completed
an invasive species environmental
education curriculum project.
The bottom line, Dr. Wooton says, is
that we all need to become more aware.
“That extends even to what you
plant in your garden because it can
make a huge difference. You have to
be an informed consumer.”
Check out GCU student work on
invasive species at http://gcuonline.
georgian.edu/phragmites.htm.
Michael Gross, Ph.D., GCU associate provost
and professor of biology, talks with botanist
Linda Kelly during the Sandy Hook field trip.