Weekly post |
The first meeting happened in conference room 124 at Norwich University, where the teams for this service learning research project were created. This group has the same members as the members in CE 421 Environmental Engineering Lab. The group was then briefed by Professor Kulkarni on what is a service learning research project and what the scope of the whole project should be. After the brief the group brainstormed ideas and came up with tackling the problem of Japanese Knotweed, a very aggressive type of invasive species, and what kind of environmental impact this weed has on the environment. With the help of Professor Zemba the group was able to brainstorm ideas on how to spread the word out about the weed. The idea that the group had was to have a system that allows those who find the weed to report it in the website and how to get the public informed of the weed. An idea to get a public service announcement (PSA), was to create a model with the actual weed with a cross section of the weed to demonstrate how the weed affects the soil around it compared to soil without the weed. Also have another PSA just to have a wider reach of the public to be aware of the presence of the weed and how they con refer to our website on how to get rid of the weed without aiding the weed spread and invade more of Vermont and around the Dog River. After coming up with the project and how to go about the project the group then made a website. At this point early October, the group has not yet completely squared away the website. The reason for the incomplete website is learning how to build and effective website along with implementing tools for the public to use so that they can get involved and start the movement against the Japanese knotweed in the Dog River and the Northfield VT, area. The groups have also visited the Dog River to get a general idea of the spread of the Japanese Knotweed in the area. This has allowed the group to become more familiar with the weed so that the group can refine the tactics to use against the weed. The group has also done research on the weed to gain a better understanding on the environment and how the weed is able to spread. After a brief talk with Professor Kelly the group learned that there are surveys done of the Dog River’s movement meaning how the river bends and how those bends change throughout the years. This means the groups can see how the weed has spread and the effects on the Dog River’s movement along with the effect the weed has on the soil and the plants around it. Overall the groups Dirty Lads have formed the group Shogun Knot Swat to combat the Japanese knotweed and how to inform the public of the environmental impacts of the weed and how they are can take action on the weed. Vincent Nguyen
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The Shogun Knot Swat decided to do their project on managing the spread and growth of Japanese Knotweed, an invasive species of plant from Japan. The Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is commonly found near Forest edges, meadows, fields, floodplains, and disturbed areas, and grows in large and thick groups. The plant, when full grown, is usually around 10’ tall with a wide root system but has also been recorded at up to 13’ tall. Its seeds also have, on average, a 95% viability rate for producing a new. Seedlings aren’t the only way that the plant can reproduce though. The root system consists of numerous intertwined rhizomes which can break off and produce an entirely new plant all on its own. The effect this plant has on the environment in Northfield, due to its preference to form around and on river banks, is that it is detrimental to natural vegetation growth along the Dog River as well as narrowing the river or even blocking smaller waterways depending on how thick the weed has grown. As of this point in the groups efforts to research the best ways to start reducing the Japanese Knot presence in Northfield, the main control source would be from involving the population of Northfield by informing them of the problem and have them start taking an active role by simply pulling the weeds from the ground whenever possible. Although this method can be effective, there has to be no part of the plants root system left in or on the ground due to the numerous rhizomes in the root system. If the plant were left on the ground the Japanese Knot would simply grow back in the same spot, due to its being an invasive species with a very good survivability rate. There would have to be proper disposal sites that can be as simple as just a few large dumpster bins along large, known populations of the plant which are mainly along the Dog River in areas where flooding is common (flood plains). These dumpsters would have to be covered so that there would be no possibility of any part of the plant escaping due to either wind or animal influences. This is important because the plant can be spread from either the seeds or the rhizomes in the root system.
So far, the group Shogun Knot Swat has done mainly preliminary research into what the Japanese Knotweed is and how it can negatively affect the environment, in addition to developing a rudimentary idea of what the best way to reduce its presence and dispose of it safely. For the next step, the group will continue to research control methods and design a model of how they would develop an effective system to control this invasive species. Following this, the group will finish their research and decide on the best control method and finally build a working model that displays their plan of action. -Pat Ryan When we were looking for challenges facing the Dog River, we cared little for some of the easier challenges to manage. The Dog was already established as a high quality body of water, so some of the simpler fixes (relatively, of course) such as nitrogen and phosphorous mitigation, were not on the table as possible projects. Instead, we chose to delve deeper into challenges facing the body of water. We began to search for problems surrounding the river. Japanese knotweed seemed to be a very large challenge, not only for the Dog River, but for areas across the globe. In several countries, the plant is classified as an invasive species and communities struggle to find ways to deal with the plant. Even by using herbicide, it takes significant effort to cut down the main stalks of the plant over several seasons before one can even consider treating the roots and killing off the plant. There seems to exist three possible solutions for mitigation of Japanese knotweed with the Dog River. The first can be considered a “brute force” solution, which is attempting to do what was stated previously in this post. By cutting down stalks over a few seasons, the plant’s root system, which often branches out significantly, would be weakened to the point of being able to be treated. Herbicide would then be used in order to take down the roots. Although this seems like a relatively simple solution, using herbicide so close to the river would certainly spell danger for the residents of the river. Biochemical oxygen demand would certainly skyrocket, not to mention the concentration of toxic chemicals entering the water would create a large fish kill, among other species to face a grim fate. A second possible solution is digging up the roots, which involves a large amount of earthwork in order to pick up the roots, which extend deep into the ground, and finding a location to place the waste. This presents two major issues. Firstly, and most critical to the Dog River, is the fact that earthwork so close to the riverbank would mean certain expansion of the bank, causing unnatural flows that the Dog is not used to. This digging would also have to be deep, as the roots extend deep into the ground, causing a large cost to the effort. Even more important is the fact that this solution is not certain and would cause the knotweed to find a new place to take root, causing problems for the place that the plants are disposed of. Clearly, this is not in line with the goals of the team, nor its benefactor, so this solution has been ruled out. The third solution seems to be a solution most promising. Given that the team does not want to inject chemicals into the waterway, nor create problems for other areas of the state, it seems that the best solution would be to attack the plants in a manner that creates minimal chemical byproducts. Soil steam sterilization is a viable option that has been introduced in other places of the world. The process is as is implied in that steam is injected into the soil that is hot enough to corrupt necessary biological processes such as protein synthesis, killing the plants in their place. Some issues that could be presented with this solution include the idea of purging any neighboring plants or fauna that contribute to the river’s wellbeing. Brian BetzJapanese knot weed is plant form japan also known as Japanese bamboo. The goal of Shogun Knot Swat is to inform people on the removal and mitigation of the plant. The website is used to let people know what the plant looks like and where Japanese Knotweed most likely resides. Japanese Knotweed is a bamboo looking plant that is most commonly found along the shores of streams, rivers, and other water bodies. It is a green plant with triangle shaped leaves. The plant is loosely rooted in the shore and does not mitigate erosion as well as the local fauna. It stops local fauna from being along shores because once emplaced it chokes and steals the land and water that other plants need to live. Once work to mitigate the spread of Japanese Knotweed is accomplished then the application of the local fauna can be introduced and will work better at soil erosion mitigation. The weeks following this post there will be posts about that week’s accomplishments and the plans on what to do. The group will be looking into specific locations where it is found. Along with different ways to remove Japanese Knotweed from your local area. As well as other local plants that can mitigate soil erosion better that Japanese Knotweed. Weekly timeline: Week one will consist of the main idea and goal of the group and the website Week two is going to be what the plant looks like and ways of removal Week three will include places in Northfield Vermont where Japanese Knotweed is located and routes which the plant can use to spread. Week 4 and the final deliverable will be a last report which will be a culmination of all the work the group has done. The end goal of the overall project is to inform the public on the effects that Japanese knotweed has on the local environment. Along with giving ways of removing the plant and properly disposing of them. Alonzo Hilario |
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the Dirty LadsThe group was first formed in late August of 2018 and since then, founded Shogun Knot Swat Oct. 2018 at Norwich University. The members consist of Brian Betz, Alonzo Hilario, Vincent Nguyen and Pat Ryan. ArchivesCategories |