Congratulations to Delaware Wild Lands, the recipients of the Delaware Invasive Species Council’s 2024 Small Grant.

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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 the invasive species would allow this site to offer high-quality wildlife 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, DWL proposed to divide the site into eight management units, alternately burn half of the sites each year, and use mechanical and chemical methods over the entire site to control invasive species. With support from the DISC Small Grants Program, DWL has purchased herbicides that will be used to target individual invasive species via spot-spraying. Over time, this method will reduce invasive plant species at the site, increase native plant species, and reduce the resources required for long-term management while supporting high-quality habitats for grass and shrubland birds and native pollinator species. 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.