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Citizen science and land use data provide insight into the invasive riparian plant composition of the Hudson River Valley watershed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2022

Alexis Garretson*
Affiliation:
Graduate Research Fellow, Department of Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA; Mohonk-Loewy Data Curation Fellow, Daniel Smiley Research Center, Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz, NY, USA; current: Graduate Research Fellow, Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA
Samantha Mohney
Affiliation:
Graduate Researcher, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
Morgan Cahill
Affiliation:
Undergraduate Researcher, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
Laurel Griffin
Affiliation:
Undergraduate Researcher, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
Rachel Silarszka
Affiliation:
Undergraduate Researcher, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
Natalie Feldsine
Affiliation:
Research Collection and Citizen Science Coordinator, Daniel Smiley Research Center, Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz, NY, USA
Megan N. Napoli
Affiliation:
Research Ecologist, Daniel Smiley Research Center, Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz, NY, USA
Elizabeth C. Long
Affiliation:
Director of Conservation Science, Daniel Smiley Research Center, Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz, NY, USA
Stream Watch Citizen Scientists Mohonk Preserve
Affiliation:
Citizen Scientists, Daniel Smiley Research Center, Mohonk Preserve, New Paltz, NY, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Alexis Garretson, 3197 Route 44 55, Gardiner, NY 12525. (Email: alexis.garretson@tufts.edu)

Abstract

Invasive plants in the riparian zone can negatively affect the characteristics and quality of a watershed. To support the development of a watershed management plan and foster public appreciation of the value of the riparian zone, Mohonk Preserve established a volunteer monitoring program surveying sites for invasive species. Between 2017 and 2019, citizen scientists repeatedly surveyed 20 sites in the Hudson River Valley in New York for 10 invasive plant species: purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria L.), common reed [Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud], multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora Thunb.), garlic mustard [Alliaria petiolata (M. Bieb.) Cavara & Grande], dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis L.), Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum Siebold & Zucc.), wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius Maxim.), barberry (Berberis spp.), Japanese stiltgrass [Microstegium vimineum (Trin.) A. Camus], and Asiatic bittersweet (oriental bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb.). We found that the number of target species detected was higher on sites closer to paved roads and with increasing drainage area size, while lower with higher percentages of forested land in the basin. Our analysis results highlight variation in the presence of target invasive species across the Hudson River Valley region, highlighting sites and areas to monitor for future introductions and take action to prevent species’ invasions. Our results highlight differences in the most relevant abiotic factors for hydrophytes and non-hydrophyte species, underscoring the importance of considering species’ life-history traits before the development of management plans for invasive plant species in the riparian zone. Our case study of community-collected data in the Hudson River Valley region using a relatively simple monitoring protocol can provide a road map for other regions fostering volunteer engagement with invasive plants.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Weed Science Society of America

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: John Cardina, Ohio State University

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