We think we had a successful campaign against water chestnut (Trapa natans) in Belleville Pond, North Kingstown, this summer. Of course we won’t really know until we get out there next June and look around. To coordinate the water chestnut eradication project this summer, RINHS was fortunate enough to get a URI College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Coastal Fellow, Laura D’Acunto. Many Survey friends will have met Laura at a water chestnut event, BioBlitz, or elsewhere this year. Laura’s position was funded with help from URI CELS and a mini-grant from the Rhode Island Foundation. Laura did a fantastic job and it was a pleasure having her working with the rest of the staff. This fall, she is continuing to develop outreach materials about water chestnut as part of a Coastal Fellows seminar. To all those who worked on the water chestnut project or others who are interested in it, you can read Laura’s end-of-season report (PDF: 171K).

RINHS expects to be back out on the water in North Kingstown next June to see how many plants come up: we already know there will be some. Hopefully there will be a dramatic reduction and further efforts next year will continue the population trend downwards. If you are interested in working on water chestnut, please contact RINHS and we will let you know when we begin forming teams for next year.

In other water chestnut news, RINHS and URI Watershed Watch sponsored an aquatic plant ID training class in September, with Survey botanist Hope Leeson at the helm. One attendee approached Hope afterwards concerned that water chestnut may be what’s covering his pond in Foster. Thanks to DEM for following up on this tip and confirming that, yes, indeed, there is a five acre private pond in Foster covered with water chestnut. That’s bad news for Rhode Island but a good demonstration that the loose network of organizations and volunteers that’s been coalescing around the invasives issue, with some trainings and publicity can provide valuable surveillance capability to Rhode Island. DEM will be working with the pond owner over the coming seasons to control this water chestnut outbreak. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled, especially in the northwest corner of the state, for evidence the plants are spreading.

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RINHS and BioBlitz sponsoring partner, Roger Williams Park Zoo (RWPZ), are seeking suggestions for future BioBlitz sites. In order to maximize the benefits of a BioBlitz to nearby schools and conservation groups, we would like to select sites now for the 2009 through 2013 seasons. To suggest one or more sites, email information on your ideas to info8at8rinhs.org, or download our BioBlitz Nomination form (Excel 20K), fill it out, and send it back by mail or email.

Miniumum BioBlitz Site Criteria:
The parcel must be in Rhode Island.
It must have some level of conservation status (public or non-profit ownership with conservation intent or if privately owned, there must be a conservation easement or other expressed conservation restriction)

Other Considerations:
Ideal size is 300 to 500 acres
Diverse or unusual habitats with potential for interesting biodiversity
An enthusiastic local host (land trust, conservation commission, non-profit, etc.)
Other potential local connections (for funding, educational programs, etc.)
Potential value of a bioblitz (for local organizational development, land management planning, etc.)
Accessibility and facilities (parking, power, shelter, trails, etc.)
Different parts of the state than previous BioBlitzes

A committee of RINHS and RWPZ staff and volunteers will meet in November to begin review of potential sites so please get your ideas in by close of business Monday, November 10.

New multi-year partnership with RWPZ to build BioBlitz: The mission of Roger Williams Park Zoo is “to contribute significantly to the conservation of the earth’s dwindling natural resources and to serve the community as a valued resource for education, economic development and recreation” (Read more at RWPZ website). RWPZ  has recognized RINHS’s  annual RI BioBlitz as a locally developed program in close harmony with its own mission and has agreed to provide significant material support to the annual BioBlitz effort for at least the next five years. At RINHS, we’re very excited to have the benefit of the zoo’s tremendous scientific, educational, and organizational resources as we work to build BioBlitz into the premier biodiversity conservation event in the state and region.

Rhode Island BioBlitz Sponsoring Partner:

Past BioBlitz sites:
2000 Roger Williams Park, Providence
2001 Norman Bird Sanctuary-Sachuest Point NWR-Oakland Forest, Middletown
2002 Eppley Preserve, Exeter/Richmond
2003 Pardon Gray Preserve-Reuker Refuge-Sapowet Marsh, Tiverton
2004 URI W. Alton Jones Campus, W. Greenwich
2005 Haffenreffer M./Mt. Hope Farm, Bristol
2006 Cumberland Monastery, Cumberland
2007 Trustom Pond NWR, South Kingstown
2008 Grills Preserve, Westerly

For more information on BioBlitzes of the past see: BioBlitz

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