Refuge and Mass Audubon to Celebrate Volunteers and Success in Pepperweed Control Project

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and Mass Audubon will be hosting a celebration to thank all of the volunteers that have helped with the Great Marsh Perennial Pepperweed Project over the years. The Volunteer Celebration, set for Thursday, May 24th from 7:00–8:30 pm, will take place at the Refuge Visitor Center located at 6 Plum Island Turnpike in Newburyport.  All who are interested in volunteering or learning about the project are welcome.  As many of the sites near eradication, we are seeking volunteers to adopt sites for monitoring and pulling.
Since 2006, the pepperweed volunteers, known as the Great Marsh Weed Warriors, have donated over 12,500 hours to the project.   Together, the Great Marsh Weed Warriors have mapped pepperweed for the entire Great Marsh – an area comprising over 30,000 acres (from Gloucester to Salisbury).   In 2017, the Great Marsh pepperweed team treated over 2,000 sites, with volunteers working to hand pull pepperweed at over 1000 sites!
Perennial pepperweed is an invasive plant that is new to the East Coast.  Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and Mass Audubon are working with many conservation partners, towns, the state, volunteers, and local schools to contain and eradicate this invasive plant before it takes over our salt marshes.    Volunteers are an essential part of the project and help with mapping, hand pulling, monitoring, and outreach. 
At the Volunteer Celebration, we will celebrate the progress and successes we’ve accomplished to date and lay out the plan of attack for 2018.  Please join us for snacks, updates, and a chance to chat with your fellow Weed Warriors.  New volunteers welcome.  Please join us to learn more about the Great Marsh Pepperweed Project and about volunteer opportunities.
Pepperweed Events:  If you’re not able to attend on May 24^th, please help at one of these future training events.  Email listed contact for more details on each event, or register to attend group pulls via naturegroupie.org.
Ipswich; Adopt-A-Site Training Day & Pepperweed Pull:  Contact Liz Duff at lduff@massaudubon.org for details.   June 9, 9:30 am-12:00 -11:30 in Ipswich.  Meet at First Church, 1 Meetinghouse Green, Ipswich MA at 9:30.