Phragmites vs. Wetlands

Last week, I met with Ian Ballard and Karen Workman, Community Engagement Editor of the Oakland Press, to do a video on how and why Ian and I want to rid the area of Phragmites. From the meeting, Karen Workman with the Oakland Press,  created a website for anyone to report sitings of phragmites throughout Oakland County. These findings will be shared with the DNR and any one else who is interested in seeing how invasive this plant is becoming in Oakland County.  In my crusade against the Phragmites or Common Reed plant, I am so excited about how everything is falling into place about getting the word out, in every media available to this area, on this very invasive and destructive plant.

While describing this project to friends and neighbors, I came to the conclusion, I have been putting the cart before the horse, when it comes to trying to get people to understand the need to rid our wetlands and some dry areas of the invasive plant, Phragmites australis or Phragmites, the Common Reed. They just don't know about the plant.

1. I am learning that more people than I thought have no idea what a Phragmite plant is. 
2. Even more don't know why this invasive plant should be on every ones number one hit list for removal.
3. Even more disturbing, to me, is that the they don't understand how this invasive and non-native plant is impacting MIchigan wetlands.

So, I am going to try and educate those who don't know about this monsterous  plant by starting with the Wetlands, the areas that the Phragmite plant is single handedly destroying in MIchigan.

 MIchigan is the Great Lakes State. One of MIchigan's greatest resources is its water. As important as the huge bodies of fresh water of Lakes MIchigan, Huron, Erie, Superior and St. Clair are to the recreational industry in the state of MIchigan and the surrounding states and Canada, the hundreds of wetlands, rivers and streams are the equally as important for over all water quality. They are the work horses of our fresh water world.

Wetlands without Pharamites

Wetlands are lands that are wet, they are lands that are saturated with water. They can be continually wet or at different times their level of water can be fluctuating or even dry. Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. Rain forests, coral reefs, waterholes in Africa, fens or moors in Europe are all Wetlands.  Important to the areas where they are found because they contain and filter water. They all are the foundations of varied ecosystems.

Wetlands comsumed by
Phragmites

In MIchigan, wetlands are home to salamanders, frogs, toads, fish, birds, waterfowl, turtles, muskrats, beavers, mammals, plants and wildlife too numerous to list them all. Though, not one being more important than the other, for they all interact in this ever changing and living ecosystem called a wetlands.

Just close your eyes and try to remember what you saw or heard as you walked by a pond, swamp or lake, a wetlands? Now take a walk by a stand of Phragmites... listen and observe. Make some of your own conclusions.

Wetlands are not useless wet areas to be filled in or destroyed for more farm land or development. They are complex, working and productive ecosystems. Wetlands serve many roles in our environment. Humans depend on wetlands more than wetlands depend on humans. Since European settlement, humans have literally destroyed over 1/2 of all North American wetlands.


Wetlands are the 'kidneys' of the life cycle of the precious water all life on earth needs.

• Wetlands controls flooding by absorbing excess water from rain, storms, snow melts and storm water runoff.
• The massive and complex system of roots, leaves, fibrous plant materials act as filters for the everyday pollutants humans allow to get into these areas.
• Water coming from the wetlands continues on into streams and rivers or eventually our aquifers for our drinking water. This water has been cleaned and purified through this amazing natural filtration system.
• Wetlands also provide habitats for fish, insects, amphibians, turtles, birds, waterfowl, host and food plants for numerous species.

To Be continued. . . . on Wednesday's blog.