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Stoppingnewaquaticinvasivespecies (AIS) from becomingestablished requires that newinfestations be identified earlyand accurately. In addition, ap-propriate steps must be taken tokeep them from hitching a rideto new locations.

To provide AIS identificationand prevention education foragency biologists, water conser-vation officers and others work-ing or doing research in statewaters, Pennsylvania Sea Grantdeveloped “Pennsylvania’sField Guide to Aquatic InvasiveSpecies.”

Free copies of the field guidewillbeavailableforparticipantsat two PA Sea Grant hands-onAIS identification workshopsthat will provide tips on usingthe guide and practice in iden-tifying several AIS threateningPennsylvania.

Participation is free, but reg-istration is required by June 1andspaceislimited.Prioritywillbe given to field biologists andagency field staff. Time for bothworkshops is 8:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.

Locations, topicsanddatesforthe workshops, which includelunch and refreshments, are:

June 12 — Fish, invertebrates,

reptilesTom Ridge Environmental

Center, Room 112, Erie

June 19 — Plants, pathogens,algae)

Pennsylvania State Univer-sity, Forest Resources Building,Room 106, State College

To register visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7L8SRLHor contact Sara Grisé at (814) 217-9020 or e-mail sng121@psu.edu

A N N A M c C A R T N E Y , acommunications and educationspecialist for Pennsylvania SeaGrant, can be reached by e-mail ataxm40@psu.edu.

Workshops teach howto ID aquatic invadersBy ANNA MCCARTNEYContributing writer

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Neighborhood Art House Invasive Species and Green Team classeshope you, too, will join the Weed Warriors to remove invasive plantson Presque Isle.

The Invasive Species andGreen Team classes from theNeighborhood Art House wentto Presque Isle State Park toremove garlic mustard invasiveplants. We were part of the WeedWarrior program.

After meeting with Matt Plutaand Marti Martz of PA Sea Grantto learn more about garlic mus-tard, we donned gloves and putbugsprayonourwrists,waistandankles.Thenwewenttodifferentplaces and pulled up the garlicmustard from the roots; this wasnecessarytopreventitfromcom-ing back and spreading seeds. Itwas hard because the roots weredeepinthedirt. It isimportanttopullthegarlicmustardbecauseitspreads and takes over the otherplants.

We felt messy; our glovessmelled really bad, like onions.Whenwewerepullingtheweedsaround the pond, we got wet allthe way up to our elbows. Whilethere we saw turtles, including ababy.

Thiswasanenjoyablefieldtrip

and we hope that other peoplewill join the Weed Warriors. Wewill all volunteer to go back!

Written by youth at the Neigh-borhoodArtHousefromPfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School:

— Abby Aguilar grade 3— Stephanie Solis grade 6— Jahir Rodriguez grade 4

Note: The Weed Warrior pro-gram is also looking for adultvolunteers. With so many daysavailable, is there any reason notto help? Opportunities are avail-ableinMayeveryTuesdayfrom10to11:30a.m.;everyThursdayfrom1 to 2:30 p.m.; and every Saturday9:30 to 11 a.m. There are also op-portunities on two additionalWednesdays, May 22 and May 29from 4 to 6 p.m. You can see thecalendar at www.facebook.com/WeedWarriorsPisp or you cancontactMattPlutaformoreinfor-mation about other dates and tosign up at 835-8069, ext. 104.

A N N A M c C A R T N E Y , acommunications and educationspecialist for Pennsylvania SeaGrant, can be reached by e-mail ataxm40@psu.edu.

Weed Warriors beat pathto Presque Isle State ParkBy ANNA MCCARTNEYContributing writer

ANNA McCARTNEY/Contributed photo

Last May workers from Meadville Land Services began work on two rain gardens at the Plastikos Inc. headquarters on Hawthorne Drive in theWalnut Creek watershed. Plastikos partnered with Environment Erie and PA Sea Grant to use greener solutions to manage stormwater runoff atthe site and improve water quality in Lake Erie and its tributaries.

Every time it rains or snowmelts, the health of the very wa-terusedbymillionsfordrinkingand attracting tourists, anglersand boaters is negatively im-pacted.

Land use causes precipita-tion to become one of the great-est threats to water quality andquantity. Instead of soaking intothe ground, water runs off roofs,lawns, streets and parking lotsintostormdrainsordirectlyintowaterways.

This excess runoff impairswaterquality,causesflashfloodsand streambank erosion and re-duces groundwater recharge.Trash, dirt and pollutants onlawns, streets and parking lotsarecarriedbystormwaterrunoffinto Presque Isle Bay, into LakeErie and finally into the ocean,creatingwaterqualityproblemsandhabitatdestructionallalongthe way. Sediments clog streamsand reduce oxygen. Chemicalspoison aquatic ecosystems andcan render water supplies un-drinkable. Lack of groundwa-ter recharge exacerbates watershortages in many areas.

To minimize these problems,Environment Erie and Pennsyl-vania Sea Grant are engagingbusinesses, nonprofits, citizensand students to reshape theirneighborhoods. Adding greeninfrastructure such as rain gar-dens helps to naturally collectand infiltrate stormwater.

This watershed approach hasapositiveimpactondrinkingwa-ter and improves water qualityin Lake Erie and its tributaries.Rain gardens also can keep ex-cess water from flooding build-ings and low spots. This methodisinuseatthePlastikosbuildingon Hawthorne Drive in SummitTownship and the parking lot atUrban Engineers at West 13thand Sassafras streets.

EnvironmentErieandPASeaGrantworkedwiththeownersatthesesitestoinstallraingardensand to use these projects and fu-ture ones to educate others sothey, too, will manage stormwa-ter,increasehabitatandbeautifya dull landscape. Funding wasprovided by the Great LakesRestoration Initiative throughthe Pennsylvania Departmentof Environmental Protection’s

Office of the Great Lakes andfrom various sources, includingthe property owners.

Last month site visits to thePlastikos rain gardens andother projects were includedin a two-day workshop for mu-nicipal officials, engineers, thedevelopment community andothers involved in managingstormwater.Morethan65peopleattendedthe“ManagingMunici-palStormwater”workshopspon-soredbyPennStateCooperativeExtension, Sea Grant and Envi-ronment Erie. Topics includednew stormwater regulations,timelines and best managementtools for implementing green in-frastructure solutions.

OtherupcomingEnvironmentErie and PA Sea Grant projectsinclude rain garden installa-tions at Iroquois ElementarySchool and at St. George Catho-lic School. These sites will alsoserve as educational outdoorclassrooms so the next genera-tion of homeowners, businessleaders and municipal officialscan learn the value of naturalwater resource protection.

In preparation for the raingarden at St. George School,Nate Millet, Environment Erie’senvironmental educator, hasbeenteachingstudentsaboutthewater cycle, rain gardens, andnative plants. On May 28 someofthemwillattendtheMillcreekTownshippublicmeetinghopingto influence municipal officialsontheneedforgreeninfrastruc-ture. They have also invited mu-nicipal officials and others toattend a ribbon-cutting for theSt. George rain garden on June4 at 2 p.m.

Whataboutyou?Whatareyoudoing to reduce stormwater? Aninch of rainfall doesn’t soundlike much. But when it falls onan average-size roof, it adds upto a 1,900-gallon torrent rushingoff the eaves. Don’t let it add tothe problems. E-mail Matt Plutaat mpluta@environmenterie.orgor Anna McCartney at axm40@psu.edu for more information.Then stay tuned for upcomingEE/PASG workshops, includingsome for homeowners.

A N N A M c C A R T N E Y , acommunications and educationspecialist for Pennsylvania SeaGrant, can be reached by e-mail ataxm40@psu.edu.

Trickle-down practiceLocal rain gardens helpto stem runoff pollutionBy ANNA McCARTNEYContributing writer

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Flooding problems that once plagued the Plastikos Inc. headquartershave been eliminated. All this water now has a better place to go.

ANNA McCARTNEY/Contributed photo

This photo was taken two months after completion. Urban Engineersdesigned the rain gardens so the plants that will fill in with time willsoak up the runoff. Any excess will flow into the drainage system.

MATT PLUTA/Contributed photo

A participant from the April “Managing Municipal Stormwater”workshop reads a sign at the Plastikos site about how rain gardenswork. Visit www.nemo.uconn.edu/raingardens for details and a handyapp for installing a simple home rain garden.

Check out these websitesto learn more:

http://nemo.uconn.edu/tools/app/raingarden.htm

http://environmenterie.org/programs/revitalization/

www.paseagrant.org/projects/saturation-point

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 | Erie Times-News | GoErie.com | 9D