Manual Phragmites Control – A Pilot Study at Nichols Pond

For a link to the recording and presentation, click here.

Zoom Webinar – February 17, 2026 12pm – 1pm

Presenter:

Annie D’Alton, avid amateur botanist, citizen scientist, and volunteer with the Lake Champlain Committee Cyanobacteria and Aquatic Invasive Species monitoring programs.

Topic:

“Phragmites australis is a non-native, highly invasive grass.  It has been spreading in Nichols Pond since at least the mid 1990s.  Before it destroys more habitat for native plants, fish, and other organisms, I decided to try manual phragmites control using a couple of hand-removal control measures that I read about in Northern Woodlands magazine, Summer issue, 2024.  These two methods of hand-harvesting have been found to be successful in controlling the plant around the Great Lakes.  The webinar will describe the harvesting that I did at 4 sites in 2025, and give citations for the resources and tools that I used.”

Above photos: https://www.vtinvasives.org

For more information about Aquatic Invasive Species, learn more here.

Photo by Annie D’Alton of hand-harvested phragmites on Nichols Pond