Don’t plant a pest: Give them an inch, they’ll take an acre
Initiated in 2010, National Invasive Species Awareness Week is a week-long series of activities, briefings and events to highlight efforts across the nation and around the world to slow the spread of invasive species. In the United States alone, invasive species cost over $120 billion annually in damage and control, and the cost they inflict on our natural heritage is immeasurable.
The city of Sanibel has been waging war against invasive exotic plants — and some animals, too — that threaten the island’s natural areas since the early 1980s. An invasive exotic plant is an exotic or non-native plant that not only has naturalized but is aggressively expanding on its own, displacing native plants and wildlife and disrupting natural ecological processes. In 1996, the city enacted legislation regulating eight invasive exotic plant species — Brazilian pepper, air potato, earleaf acacia, exotic inkberry (beach naupaka), java plum, lead tree, mother-in-law’s tongue and Melaleuca — that were determined to be the “worst of the worst” invaders. These eight species may not be intentionally planted, transplanted or otherwise introduced in any way on Sanibel and are required to be permanently removed as a condition of all city development permits.
Although the war is far from over, the city and its conservation partners — the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge — have won several battles. Introduced as an ornamental and for its ability to dry up swampy environments, the last known Melaleuca tree was cut down in September 1989. The city also continues to make progress with the island-wide Brazilian Pepper Eradication Program. As a result of the ambitious program, Brazilian pepper has been removed from all conservation areas and from most of the island’s residential and commercial properties. Additionally, residents collected over 1,000 pounds of air potato bulbils as part of the city’s “Air Potato Exchange Day” program in 2012 and 2013.
The impact of Hurricane Ian has changed the commercial and residential landscapes on Sanibel. Disturbance events such as hurricanes make landscaped and natural areas more susceptible to invasion by pest plants, and are often some of first plants to begin regrowing or sprouting. Storm surge revealed the vulnerability of plants with low to no salt tolerance, extreme winds damaged or destroyed vegetation, and the storm may have potentially introduced invasive exotic plant species into new areas. Now is the time to check your property for invasive exotic plants to remove. Whether you are acting as a steward for your own property, a local park or a far away natural area, invasive plants are likely to be a problem. In the face of such global threats to biodiversity as habitat destruction and climate change, we can each make a difference by preventing and controlling the spread of invasive species.
To view photos of the “Worst of the Worst” invasive exotic plants and the city’s “The Alien Invasion” brochure, visit www.mysanibel.com/Departments/Natural-Resources or contact the city’s Natural Resources Department at 239-472-3700.