Another Effort on Tackling Phragmites Along Grand River

WEST OLIVE, MI (WHTC) – Ottawa County Parks Department staffers joined with volunteers with the Ottawa County Invasive Phragmites Group and GEI Consultants in attempting to wipe out phragmites along the Grand River. Spending 15 days and 455 man hours, the group treated roughly 55 acres of land, with 85 percent participation among the 80 land owners in the treatment area. It was the third and final year of this effort that was funded by a Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act grant. The common, invasive tall reed increases the risk of flooding and soil erosion while decreasing native biodiversity.