Managing Purple Loosestrife
Purple Loosestrife has been spreading throughout Grand Traverse County along the Boardman River, on inland lakes, next to streams and at the edges of Grand Traverse Bay. At the Natural Education Reserve, it has been spotted along several of the trails and in wetlands areas. The Sabin Pond Trail has boardwalks along the wetlands where the invasive species has been trying to get established. Grand Traverse Conservation District staff members Jessica Lang and Cindy Retherford manually removed hundreds of Purple Loosestrife plants and bagged and destroyed them in a suppression effort along the Sabin Pond Trail. Another “Pull” is planned for mid-August in the same area.
