Common reed management as a model for sustainable, community-led invasive species solutions in urban parks
From students: Darrin, Jaraslava, and Natalie
This is an interdisciplinary, ethnographic study that aims to document the social perceptions and ecological impacts of the common reed (Phragmites australis), an invasive plant that is prevalent in public parks in southeast Michigan. Public parks offer essential services to residents and provide social and ecological value to the community. Plants like the invasive common reed threaten the wellbeing of the wetland areas of some urban parks. This project seeks to examine social perceptions of these invasive species through two case studies - Belle Isle State Park and Lake St. Clair Metropark, both located in Southeast Michigan. The research team, comprised of Darrin Hunt (PhD student, Biology), Jaroslava Pallas (PhD student, Anthropology), and Natalie Lyon (Master of Urban Planning Candidate), have completed biological monitoring at both parks, and are currently in the process of collecting ethnographic interview and survey data for the project.
