DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Phragmites program treats nearly 6,500 acres in 2011 

DOVER (Nov. 4, 2011) – Final tallies show the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife had another successful year managing Phragmites (Phragmites australis) in 2011, treating a total of 6,465 acres of the invasive marsh plant by helicopter with an aquatic herbicide on public and private property from August through early October.

A total of 3,395 acres of Phragmites were treated on private land through the Division’s cost-sharing spraying program, with 40 landowners participating. The Division also treated 3,070 acres on public lands including state wildlife areas, state parks and Northern Delaware Wetland Rehabilitation Projects (NDWRP). The 2011 figure represents a slight decrease from the 2010 total of 6,907 acres.

Since its inception in 1986, the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Phragmites Control Program has treated more than 20,000 acres of the invasive reed. Program funding combines state funds and federal funds through a State Wildlife Grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Most private landowners who participate in the program partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service through their Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) to lower their share of the cost. 

For more information on the Phragmites Control Program, please call 302-284-4795 or visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/dplap/services/Pages/DelawarePhragmitesControl.aspx.

Vol. 41, No. 425