SHARE ON: Manitoulin Phragmites Project team members Joel Trudeau and Nathan Madahbee hand-cutting Phragmites out of natural vegetation in the shoreline marsh at the head of South Bay. Photo provided
The Manitoulin Phragmites Project had a successful year despite having to deal with COVID-19 and the challenges it presented.
Project coordinator Judith Jones says phragmites are an invasive, tough, long-growing European grass that chokes out natural vegetation and has spread across Manitoulin Island.
She says it was a bit tough this year because they lacked government funding, so the work did not begin until July 1st, but thanks to the support of local donors, they were able to operate on a week-by-week basis to clear the invader from different areas on Manitoulin Island.