
This Sept. 19, 2019, file photo, shows a spotted lanternfly at a vineyard in Kutztown, Pa. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)
Matt Rourke / Associated Press
This Sept. 19, 2019, file photo, shows a spotted lanternfly at a vineyard in Kutztown, Pa. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)
Matt Rourke / Associated Press
Matt Rourke / Associated Press
This Sept. 19, 2019, file photo, shows a spotted lanternfly at a vineyard in Kutztown, Pa. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)
Invasive species in Pennsylvania are destroying cropland, disturbing wetlands, hurting timber production, making parks less accessible and exacerbating flooding problems. And that doesn’t include a variety of impacts on native wildlife and ecosystems.
Those are some of the findings from a survey of more than 1,000 residents, including individuals from every single county, conducted by the Pennsylvania Governor’s Invasive Species Council last fall.
The survey aims to help the council better understand the impact of invasive species on residents, as well attract attention and funding. The council believes the state should create funding for regional invasive species programs that would be better able to respond to local ecosystems and increase local participation.
“If there’s one thing that this survey showed, this is how many people really care about this topic, how many people are affected by the topic,” according to Fred Strathmeyer, who chairs the invasive species council as the Deputy Secretary for Plant Industry and Consumer Protection in the state Department of Agriculture.
But right now many of those people say they feel like they are tackling the issue alone or with insufficient resources and time. Strathmeyer believes that a more regional approach would allow the state to make more progress. For example, he said, McKean County in northern Pennsylvania has been struggling to contain knotweed in one of its watersheds. But knotweed isn’t a big issue in southeastern Pennsylvania, he said.
“What happens in Erie may or may not happen in Philadelphia,” he said. “Or what happens in Washington County may not be the same thing that happens in Scranton.”
Strathmeyer said that New York has already adopted a regional model funded by a local real estate tax that allows it to better respond to local invasive species. And he said there are already existing organizations – like conservation districts or conservancies – that could spearhead regional task forces.
This issue is only going to become more important as the climate changes, he said, pointing to the unusually warm winter this year. “The one thing we know about invasives, insects, plant material, they’re all reliant on the weather,” he said. “And so if we end up with milder winters, we end up with opportunities for these plants or these invasive insects to become more prevalent because the natural course that they may have run up against is no longer there.”
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.