Congratulations to Delaware Wild Lands, the recipients of the Delaware Invasive Species Council’s 2025 Small Grant!

Delaware Wild Lands’ (DWL) Taylors Bridge Complex in southern New Castle County is a highly biodiverse mosaic of marsh, grassland, upland forest, and farmland, representing some of the state’s most pristine coastal resources. A 40-acre former agricultural field under DWL’s management in Taylors Bridge supports a diverse assemblage of wildlife, notably the northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus), but also hosts a variety of non-native invasive plant species including Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana), and autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata). Controlling these invasive species will allow for more high-quality habitat to support the numerous Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the area.

Broadcast spraying a site like this with herbicide would be costly, harmful to non-target native species, and fail to target each invasive species with the most appropriate herbicide. Therefore, Delaware Wild Lands divided the site into eight management units, alternately burning half of the sites each year, and using mechanical and chemical methods over the entire site to control invasive species.

With the project now in its second year, and with further support from the DISC Small Grants Program, DWL has now employed mechanical and chemical methods to control invasive species across the entire site, targeting each invasive species with the methods that are most effective for their control. Over time, these practices will reduce invasive plant species at the site, increase native plant species, support high-quality habitat for grass and shrubland birds and native insects, and reduce the resources required for long-term management.

Furthermore, in 2025 DWL expanded the project by adding four acres to the site that will be treated for invasive species and managed to provide shrub/ scrub habitat that will complement the existing 40 acres of meadow habitat. Vegetation and wildlife monitoring programs are already in place and will continue throughout the project to assess treatment efficacy, including the use of exclosures to help determine the effects of deer browse on the restoration site.