When flood waters were going to inundate the earth, why did G-d command Noah to protect at least two of every animal species on the arc? Why not just a couple species? Certainly from an environmental perspective, it’s essential to safeguard a whole community of species, known as an ecosystem. Since the native species in these systems evolved together they depend on each other to survive. Unfortunately, invasive plants, non-native species introduced from other countries, unravel the interconnected relationships within an ecosystem. For example, the female Monarch usually lays eggs common milkweed, but because of the influx of invasives, now will deposit her eggs on the invasive species called black swallow wort. The caterpillars that emerge from her eggs, however, will not receive the nutrition they need from the swallow wort leaves and will die, devastating the monarch butterfly population, which in turn reduces the food available for the caterpillar and butterfly predators, like birds and other insects.
To control invasives, managers need specific data about where these species are and where they’re spreading. The Blue Hills Invasive Scout Program will train volunteers – primarily youth groups and families – to collect and record this data using geopositional (GPS) units.
At 7,000 acres, the Blue Hills Reservation (BHR) is the largest public park within the metropolitan Boston area, and contains a wealth of recreational and conservation opportunities. Tens of thousands of people enjoy the wild beauty of the BHR every year. Because the Blue Hills is a state preserve, however, most people understandably assume that development is prohibited, that the park’s natural and recreational resources are protected. They are unaware of the pressure exerted by private developers and state agencies to develop the parkland. They also don’t understand how cuts in state funding mean the government cannot adequately maintain the trails or protect wildlife populations from the affects of invasive species.
Most people are unaware that the Reservation needs Friends.
The Friends of the Blue Hills (FBH) was formed by a group of people that recognized the vulnerability of the Reservation. People who support FBH – both our volunteers and donors – understand that their support is essential to preserving and protecting the Blue Hills Reservation by supporting our efforts to: protect the park from private development, work with the state government to develop a plan to manage the park, to protect wildlife by mapping invasive species and to encourage access to the Reservation by maintaining the trails.
The goal of the Invasives Scouts Program is to improve invasive species management in the Blue Hills Reservation (BHR) by: inventorying and monitoring invasive status; eliminate (where feasible); deter or prevent spread within the BHR; prevent spread into BHR from outside; prevent spread from BHR to outside; identify vulnerable sites; prioritize work required to these ends.
The objectives are to: use the GPS units and other field methods to map invasive species at priority locations, including : Ponkapoag Pond, Houghton’s Pond and Fowl Meadow; train at least 15 volunteers to identify and document invasives; engage volunteers in monitoring and documenting the distribution of 12 of the most harmful invasive species in the Blue Hills along at least 50 miles of trails in areas of the Reservation with the most fragile ecosystems; work with DCR to prioritize invasive control efforts and set a plan for implementation; convene participants and implement control strategies by organizing at least 3 invasive species work events, with at least 30 participants that target the most pressing needs for invasive management.
To improve existing and future invasive control efforts, the Friends of the Blue Hills is launching The Blue Hills Invasive Scouts Program. Through this initiative, we will recruit teams of trained volunteers who commit to surveying a portion of the Blue Hills and reporting the species, quantity and location of any invasives. Participants, recruited from local youth groups in Canton and Milton, will be trained to identify and record the 12 most destructive invasive species and indicate the location with a GPS device. Data forms will be collected and collated by FBH and submitted to the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE). Through IPANE, this data will be available to scientists and students, researchers, land managers, conservationists, government agencies, the green industry, FBH members and local residents. Most notably, however, this data will be invaluable to DCR managers and organizations interested in controlling invasives in the Blue Hills, allowing managers to target control practices in areas that will be most effective and most valuable to the surrounding ecosystems.
Educating and involving volunteers will deliver a cost-effective, continually updated data, as well as create and strengthen constituencies for the park. These volunteer Invasive Scouts will be on the lookout throughout the park for invasive species, but will also understand the underlying threats to native species, the value of biodiversity in the park and the impacts of underfunding our state parks.
Name of Organization:Friends of the Blue Hills
Number of Paid Staff:2 p/t
Number of Volunteers:100
Total Organizational Expenses:$65,600
% of Organizational Overhead Expenses:7%
We identified the need for an invasive mapping program after meeting with all the organizations that work on invasive species control in the Blue Hills, and realized that all the efforts were piece-meal, based only on limited understanding of where invasives were or how they spread throughout the Reservation. No other organization is addressing this need in the Blue Hills Reservation.
In the last four years, the Friends of the Blue Hills has blossomed, growing in size from 200 to over 1,000 members and multiplying its volunteer involvement. Our growth demonstrates that our mission to protect the 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation resonates with people throughout the region. People appreciate the Reservation’s varied landscape, its easy access from Boston and numerous recreational activities. They understand that the Friends of the Blue Hills is essential to preserving the park they love.
Animals
Environment
Family Harmony
Here are a few ways to get involved:
a. Organize an event to raise funding for this organization.
b. Visit and/or volunteer: We encourage families to join the Invasive Scout Program. Families can also attend an event to remove invasives, or participate in one of our family events to learn more about invasive plants.
c. Pen-pal, email, chat, and/or connect via JChoice.org
Name:Judy Lehrer Jacobs
Title:Executive Director
Address:PO Box 416, Milton, MA 02186
Telephone:(781) 828-1805
Email:judy@friendsofthebluehills.org
Website:www.friendsofthebluehills.org