Invasive Pepperweed Removal

The pepperweed control project is designed to increase the health of salt marshes in the Great Marsh Region by reducing the invasive plant, perennial pepperweed. This project began in 2006 when staff from the US. Fish and Wildlife Service and Mass Audubon teamed up to contain pepperweed in Newburyport. Since then, the project has expanded to include the Great Marsh Region and beyond. In 2015, partners coordinated 192 volunteers and staff for a total of for a total of 1782 hours working to map and control the invasive plant, perennial pepperweed in the Great Marsh Region. Much of this work is funded through Hurricane Sandy funding from Department of the Interior. As a team we pulled and treated over 1780 sites in the Great Marsh Region, and prevented the spread of pepperweed in neighboring clear areas.

Above: “Battle Against Pepperweed,” Directed and Produced by Grace Evans in July 2020.

Lead organization: Mass Audubon

Other involved organizations:
US Fish and Wildlife Service
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Ipswich River Watershed Association
8 Towns & the Great Marsh Committee
Salem Sound Coastwatch
Trustees of Reservations
Greenbelt
Town of Ipswich Department of Planning and Development
Plum Island Beautification
Gulf of Maine Institute
Northeast Mosquito Control
Great Neck Association
Youth Conservation Corps,
Student Conservation Association
Americorp
New England Aquarium
Local Schools: Ipswich High School, River Valley Charter School, Sparhawk High School, Triton High School, Manchester Essex High School

To learn more visit: www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/invasive-plants/pepperweed/project

Lead Organization: Mass Audubon

Project Contact: Liz Duff (Mass Audubon)