Who We Are and Who We Worked With:
The E-Team, comprised of Julian Justiniano, Jacob Lavigna, Nicholas Morgan, and Sam Pickwoad. We have been working with Brianna Treichler at Blue Marsh Lake to help get rid of the invasive species that live among that area. At Blue Marsh Lake there are specific invasive species that are an issue to this artificial lake and recreational area. It is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District. Our group focused on the habitat destruction that invasive species can cause where they live.
What are Invasive Species:
The invasive species that live at Blue Marsh Lake (that we focused on) are the Oriental Bittersweet, Japanese Honeysuckle, Wineberry, and the Spotted Lanternfly. It’s important we focused on these species because species like the Oriental Bittersweet are destroying the plant life along the trails and this only helps bring destruction to the general recreational. This plant has deadly vines that go up a tree and choke it out, killing it. This can spread too quickly to all trees and can be so deadly that the trees will fall and cause damage to the surrounding area. The Japanese Honeysuckle and Wineberry operate in a similar manner. All of these outcompete with other species growing near them and suppresses them from further growth.
Working with Invasive Species:
When working our group met at the Great Oak trail. On the trail our group focused on ridding the Bittersweet, Japanese Honeysuckle, and Wineberry. Spotted Lanternfly’s weren’t an issue because of the time of the year. While on the trail our group was provided power tools among other manual tools to help rid the area of said species. We worked as a group using these tools to clear the area not only to make the area look more appealing, but to help the non-invasive plants thrive as well. Other things we did included pulling out invasive garlic mustard along other trails Blue Marsh has. This was a tedious task albeit a fun one as well.
Reflection:
Before our group went to Blue Marsh Lake it was evident (either from common knowledge or in class) that invasive species had existed. Though we had felt that the species were mainly predominant as bugs especially since the SLF (spotted lanternfly) is a major issue on the eastern coast of America. However, once we were affiliated the USACE and Brianna Treichler it had become evidently clear to us that plants were also apart of the invasive species issue that Pennsylvania is facing. We were educated on the plants that affect the trail/area in which we were to clean up. It was a truly immersive experience to see areas overridden with species of plants that didn’t belong go from overtaking the area to barely being noticeable.
Our brochure:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAE87hppOQc/qX7AnJJyhS7obWM8DODbBw/view?utm_content=DAE87hppOQc&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
Our Team:
