From left, Ellen Jacquart, director of Northern Indiana Stewardship for the
Nature Conservancy, talks with Bill Kocher, Vincennes, and Janet Ivers,
Fritchton, during an Invasive Plant Species seminar on Aug. 15 at the
Purdue Southwest Ag Center in Vincennes. As part of her current position,
Jacquart works on invasive species issues at the state level. She is the
Invasives Committee chair for the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower
Society, the chair of the Invasive Plant Species Assessment Working Group
in Indiana, and a member of the Indiana Invasive Species Task Force that
led to the formation of the Indiana Invasive Species Council in the 2009
legislative session. She currently leads the Invasive Plant Advisory
Committee which reports to the Invasive Species Council. She has worked in
Indiana natural areas since 1987, originally with the Indiana Department of
Natural Resources.
Jacquart’s Knox County presentation included a discussion why invasive
species are a threat to native plants, birds, wildlife and agriculture. She
also discussed methods to control invasive species and why everyone needs
to get involved in both local and statewide efforts to control the problem.
She said research shows that 85 percent of invasive species are introduced
for landscaping that quickly gets out of control at a growing cost for
landowners. She said that the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources is
currently reviewing a proposed draft rule that could eliminate the sale of
highly invasive plants such as callery pear and purple wintercreeper,
regulation that could save many problems for property owners.
For more information go to the Indiana Invasive Species Council website:
http://www.entm.purdue.edu/
The presentation was sponsored by Knox County Cooperative Management Area
and the Knox County Soil and Water Conservation District. Additional
information is available by calling 812-882-8210.