Great Lakes Commission Awards Grants for Phragmites Mitigation

(COLUMBUS) – Four Ohio entities have received grant funding as part of the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative’s Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF) grant program, announced Great Lakes Commission members, State Representative Jamie Callender (R-Concord) and State Senator Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green).  Grant funding was awarded following a competitive, multi-state application process aimed at better understanding the impact different treatment methods have on mitigating the impact of Phragmites australis, an invasive species of reed damaging wetlands throughout the Great Lakes Basin. 

Beginning in 2012 as a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Great Lakes Commission, the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative has focused on providing resources to member states in an effort to prevent the spread of Phragmites australis through the PAMF. The PAMF aims to gather data about different mitigation techniques to create a model to assist communities with finding the best solution to addressing their Phragmites infestations. As a part of the model, the PAMF seeks to provide the best tools at each phase of the Phragmites life cycle by considering the different ecosystems the reed can be found in. In the first year of the grants, the 17 initial grantee organizations undertook 70 projects across 130 acres of land and supplied data for six different mitigation combinations. Three of these mitigation combinations had no prior data. 

Phragmites australis is a species of reed grass commonly found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions and is considered invasive in the Great Lakes Region. Its native counterpart, Phragmites americanus, while often existing alongside Phragmites australis, is fully integrated into local ecosystems and is not considered dangerous to local flora and fauna. This is due to Phragmites australis growing taller, larger, and more densely than its domestic counterpart, causing damage to local plant and animal life by diverting waterflow and entrapping animals in its undergrowth.

In the second year of the grant program, a total of $314,729.19 has been awarded across 21 organizations in 5 states. In Ohio, the four projects receiving funding are: the City of Pepper Pike ($8,000), the City of Toledo Division of Environmental Services ($26,000), Conneaut Port Authority ($10,940.60), and Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve ($30,000), totaling $74,490.60. This is the Conneaut Port Authority’s second successful grant application, receiving $10,836 in the first round of PAMF grants. Of the four other states, Illinois and Pennsylvania each received one grant, $27,717 and $31,330 respectively, with Wisconsin receiving $31,400.13 across 5 grants, and Michigan receiving $149,797.46 across 10 grants. 

“The Great Lakes Basin serves not only as a key economic driver for the region but as a foundation for millions of families’ memories and traditions,” said Callender. “Through efforts to eradicate invasive species, we preserve the ecological balance of the Great Lakes and ensure millions of Ohioans will continue to flock to Lake Erie to work, live, and create new family memories and traditions.”

“I am pleased to see Ohio receiving recognition for its work on this issue,” said Senator Gavarone (R-Bowling Green). “The health of Lake Erie is an important priority in my work, and I am honored that GLC has chosen Toledo to receive a grant. These funds will be crucial in continuing to provide ways to keep Lake Erie, and all the Great Lakes, viable and healthy for future generations.”

Established in 1955, the Great Lakes Basin Compact was initially signed by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin as a body to promote the conservation and comprehensive development of the Great Lakes Basin. New York, in 1960, Pennsylvania, during its 1955-1956 session, and Ohio, in 1963, joined the Compact, alongside the governments of Quebec and Ontario, to create the current eight state and two Canadian Provence board. The Compact received congressional consent in 1968. Ohio’s five commissioners are Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz (Great Lakes Commission Immediate Past President), Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director John Logue, State Senator Theresa Gavarone, State Representative Jamie Callender, and James H.I. Weakly, President of the Lake Carriers’ Association.