Conservation Commission

Any questions you may have regarding non-native invasive plant species can be directed to commission member Elinor Osborn.  Also, to assist private landowners and others, the Craftsbury Conservation Commission has weed wrenches available for loan.  These wrenches are useful when eradicating woody plants such as buckthorn, honeysuckle, barberry and burning bush. These tools are stored at the Craftsbury Public Library and can be borrowed for a limited time with the Library’s terms of agreement.

JAPANESE KNOTWEED DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

In 2017 the Craftsbury Conservation Commission began a Japanese Knotweed Demonstration Project in Mill Village across from the Little Hosmer Access.  The purposes of this ongoing project are to demonstrate to landowners various ways to eradicate or at least control this non-native invasive plant, and to provide information about the detriments of the increasing populations of invasive species.

The site for the project across from the Little Hosmer fishing access in Mill Village is owned by the DEC under the jurisdiction of the Department of Fish and Wildlife.It was chosen because of its roadside visibility at a well-traveled intersection, and because the Commission and F & W are concerned about the increase of knotweed downstream.  Several years ago, fill was brought there creating a very steep bank and the knotweed erodes into the stream.

We have consulted with other towns and have presented various methods over the years to show the results.  In 2018, we had a licensed herbicide applicator demonstrate injecting large stems with glyphosate.  Care and strict diligence were shown with this method.  We did not recommend general spraying of an herbicide so close to the stream.  Other methods shown were pulling, cutting, mowing, and smothering.  We demonstrated methods of drying as well.  There is a brochure with this information at the site.

During the flooding in the summer of 2023, volumes of soil containing knotweed slumped off the steep bank and washed downstream.We decided to expand our project to include removing the knotweed along the streambank and planting native vegetation to see if it will hold the soil andoutcompete the knotweed.We applied for and received a Fish and Wildlife Watershed Grant in 2024 and with it purchased plastic, erosion fabric and a variety of native shrubs, a total of nearly 200 plants from Intervale nursery.    We planted native grass seed with asters on the road shoulder to control run-off erosion.

In 2024 we counted that 82 volunteers from the community worked 606 hours on the project! Over the period of the project, Sterling College professor, Farley Brown, and her students installed willow fascines that are stabilizing the bank and controlling run-off, as well as providing much more physical work.Athletes from the Craftsbury Outdoor Center have also put in many hours of work.THANK YOU to all those volunteers!

We have Elinor Osborn to thank for organizing and carrying out this major project.She has all these years managed the Herculean effort of not only planning, researching, supervising volunteers, attending meetings, etc. but does much physical work as well.

There is signage that describes the plants that were chosen and their attributes.Views of the beautiful stream are now visible.We hope you will visit the site to observe the various plots and signage and pick up a brochure which is available on site during the summers.