Phragmites

Phragmites australis is an invasive reed that quickly takes over marsh and wetland areas. It is found in all of the Great Lakes states and provinces.The Cities Initiative participates in the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative Advisory Committee and the Ontario Phragmites Working Group to keep its members informed of best practices in Phragmites management.

Fact Sheets

• Tools to Manage Phragmites (1 page)
• Tools to Manage Phragmites (4 pages)

Resources from Cities

• List of phragmities-related municipal ordinances
• Collingwood, Ontario: 2016 Fight The Phrag
• Public Education Documents from Collingwood (Ont.) and the Georgian Bay Area

Resources

• Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative: The Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative website provides excellent resources for Phragmites identification, removal, and research.
• Ontario Phragmites Working Group
• Interactive Phragmites mapping in the US: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the US Geological Survey

Action

In 2010, 2015, and 2016, the Cities Initiative passed resolutions on Phragmites. Read via the links below. In 2016, GLSLCI partnered with the NASA/DEVELOP program to use remote sensing data to forecast Phragmites extent in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region. For more information about this program, please email admin@glslcities.org.

• 2016 Resolution
• 2015 Resolution
• 2010 Resolution

News

• NASA joins fight against invasive Great Lakes shoreline plant: July 5, 2016
• Mayors tackle scourge of Great Lakes wetlands: June 17, 2016
• Bogged Down in Phragmites: Assessing Risk in the Great Lakes Basin: April 6, 2016