Agencies Join in Effort to Remove Cogon Grass

Apalachicola working group addresses invasive species issues, both plants and animals.

GULF COUNTY , FL — Killing a pesky plant that is causing problems for both private and public landowners is the focus of a new pilot project by the Apalachicola Watershed Invasive Exotics Working Group.

The group’s first invasive plant control project will involve herbiciding cogon grass on seven different privately owned sites. Signs at the demonstration sites will inform the public about the effort to remove this troublesome plant and promote native vegetation and natural habitat.

Cogon grass is listed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a noxious weed and by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council as a Category 1 invasive plant — a plant that invades and alters native plant communities.

Cogon grass was first introduced early in the 1900s in Alabama and Mississippi for forage, erosion control and packing material. It now infests thousand of acres in the southeast, forming dense mats of thatch and leaves that shade and outcompete native plants. Cogon grass-infested land often suffers more frequent and intense fires.

"By acting during the initial stage of infestation we can work to keep this nasty plant at bay in Gulf County," said Elizabeth Mizell, The Nature Conservancy’s restoration steward for the Northwest Florida Program. "Continued treatment of infestations, increased public awareness and continued cooperation of partners will make this project successful."

The Apalachicola Watershed Invasive Exotics Working Group, coordinated by The Nature Conservancy, is a cooperation effort of 25 public and private agencies working in six counties: Gulf, Franklin, Calhoun, Liberty, Jackson and Gadsden. In existence for a year, the working group chose to initiate the removal study on private land to encourage participation.

Stakeholders from the working group specifically working on the control project are Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gulf County Cooperative Extension Service, The Nature Conservancy, St. Joe Timberland Co., Calhoun County Cooperative Extension Service and PBS&J Company – a contractor for the Florida Department of Transportation. Funding for the pilot project will be provided through a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. The Conservancy has helped protect more than 1.1 million acres in Florida since 1961.

Contact: Elizabeth Mizell (850) 643-2756 or Jill Austin (321) 689-6099