By Amber Carr Su As Co CISMA Coordinator

By: Amber Carr Su. As. Co CISMA Coordinator U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Our Location U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Rivers are designated as “Wild and Scenic” under the Wild and Scenic River Act • Approximately 60, 000 acres of the watershed is considered permanently protected open space • The watershed is comprised of 36 towns, covering 377 square miles

How we began n New England Invasive plant summit Sept. 2005 n Called Su. As. Co ITF from 2005 -2008 n In 2008 changed name to Su. As. Co CISMA n May 1 st 2009 signed our “Memorandum of Understanding” MOU U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service

MOU signing n We signed our MOU (memorandum of understanding) on May 1 st 2009 n 13 of our current 28 partner organizations signed the MOU that day U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service

2009 Accomplishments n n n n Signed MOU in May (22 signatories, 1 supporting partner) Established Steering committee Assigned a chair, a vice chair, a coordinator, a treasurer, and a secretary Established 4 sub committees (Admin, Education/Outreach, Control, Early Detection/Rapid R) Received and distributed RSC grant money (Purple Loosestrife -SVT, SWEET- Town of Sudbury) Wrote and submitted NFWF grant (NEWFS/MAS) Drafted strategic management plan Became partner for “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers” campaign U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service

2010 Goals Annual Priority Actions n n n n Administrative subcommittee: Establish position descriptions for all CISMA seats. Establish descriptions/ responsibilities for all subcommittees Oversee strategic plan and APA’s- make sure group is on task Follow up with Nyanza funding source Apply to RSC for follow up money- fliers/ handouts Sudbury Foundation grant n n n n Education/ Outreach subcommittee: Develop fact sheets that pertain to Su. As. Co watershed (adapt existing factsheets) Develop website and designate host Develop logo Develop template for press releases n n n n U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service Early Detection/ Rapid Response subcommittee: Host a field trip for ED sp plant ID for CISMA partners Host aquatic plant ID training for CISMA partners Have complete list of shared items from all partners and post on google groups page ED plant fact sheets completed Develop mapping program with NEWFS (NFWF grant) Identify priority areas in watershed for ED sp mapping Help partners with prioritization of sites Control subcommittee: Workshop -Help partners prioritize lands- April Quarterly roundtable- partners able to discuss control efforts for certain species- (mistakes, successes, etc) – mid April Workshop – Help partners become aware of all mapping options for their lands- June/July Work with ED/Outreach to develop plant fact sheets Provide support for RSC grant projects (SVT- purple loosestrife, SWEET)

S. W. E. E. T n SWEET (Sudbury Weed Education and Eradication Team)- ($1, 000) n Purchase tools/equipment for plant removal work parties n Coordinate work parties at 7 target sites within Sudbury n Work with partners to establish a long term relationship for removal of invasive plants in Sudbury U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Purple Loosestrife Project SVT (Purple Loosestrife Project) - ($5, 000) n Establish 3 release sites – including partner sites n Coordinate beetle rearing/ releases n Coordinate permits/ paper work for all project participants n Provide advice/ guidance for project partners U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service

ED/RR Project n n n n NFWFGrant: NEWFS-($50, 000) Implement an ED/RR program watershed wide with help of coordinator Recruit volunteers- 150 (5 volunteers from 30 towns within watershed) Train volunteers in plant ID Identify infestations of early detection species Develop control plan and prioritize known infestations Control infestations Implement long term monitoring programs U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service Photo by John Burns New England Wild Flower Society

28 Partners n n n n Carlisle Conservation Commission Concord Land Conservation Trust Concord Natural Resources Commission Friends of Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge Harvard Conservation Commission Hop Brook Protection Association Lincoln Conservation Commission Lincoln Land Conservation Trust Littleton Conservation Commission Littleton Conservation Trust Marlborough Conservation Commission Massachusetts Audubon Society Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (Dept of Fish and Game) Maynard Conservation Commission U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service n n n n National Park Service New England Forestry Foundation New England Wild Flower Society Organization for the Assabet River Southborough Open Land Foundation Stow Conservation Commission Su. As. Co Watershed Community Council Su. As. Co Wild& Scenic River Stewardship Council Sudbury River Watershed Organization Sudbury Valley Trustees The Trustees of Reservations The Walden Woods Project Town of Sudbury U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service