Jackson & Scott County property owners can receive free assistance in identifying and advice on controlling invasive plants growing on their property.
Southern Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management (SICIM) has worked alongside the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to combat invasive plants and raise public awareness of the devastation caused by these non-native pests. It has became clear that the problem of non-native invasive plants must be addressed at the local level through local people using local resources.
To coordinate efforts, SICIM and the NRCS signed an agreement to develop local Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas throughout Indiana. SICIM then created the Indiana Invasives Initiative (III) project to implement the agreement. Through the III project, a team of 6 Regional Specialists employed by SICIM actively work at the county level with local conservation agencies to develop new CISMAs and provide technical assistance to landowners.
Kaila Knies the Regional Specialist serving Jackson and Scott counties along with Clark, Floyd, Harrison, Washington, Crawford, Orange, Lawrence, Spencer, Perry, Pike, Gibson, Warrick, Vanderburgh, and Posey counties is now starting to book landowner surveys for this fall.
Included in this technical assistance to landowners is a no-cost invasive plant survey of their property. Many landowners have noticed that non-native invasive plant species are overtaking their lands, crowding out native plants and making it difficult for wildlife to thrive. The good news is that you don’t have to face these battles alone.
Anyone who owns or manages land will have to deal with these plants. The regional specialist will come to your property and identify invasive plant species, write a brush management plan, and give you information on how to best control the invasive species specific to your property.
All social distancing protocols will be followed. If you would like to schedule a survey contact Knies by email at kaila@sicim.info or by phone at 812-631-7913.
