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| Beaver Island |
By Nick Durham
Blog Post 3
This blog post will cover the Beaver Island Association Endangered & Invasive Species Management Initiative, which is an example of network governance. Beaver Island is located in Lake Michigan between the upper and lower Michigan peninsulas. It contains the city of St. James as well as a number of smaller surrounding islands.
The Beaver Island Association itself is a non-state actor that is dedicated to preserving the natural beauty of Beaver Island, fostering sensible economic policies that ensure preservation of the environment and promoting environmental conservation. Its conservation activities include proposing environmental policies, collaborating with tribes/NGO's/government agencies/schools, sponsoring conservation education programs, performing beach and campground cleanups, and assisting with forest fire prevention. The Beaver Island Association acts as a key member in a network of governance for the Beaver Island region.
Beaver Island Association’s Endangered & Invasive Species Management Initiative is a network approach to tackling the problem of invasive species. Its four stated goals are the education of property owners and visitors, taking an inventory of all endangered and high threat invasive species on the island, recruiting a so-called Early Detection Rapid Response force to treat infestations, and the rehabilitation of natural areas through the eradication of invasive species. Beaver Island Association has been working in direct partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, the Nature Conservancy, and the LittleTraverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians on the initiative.
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| Phragmites are common invasive reeds. |
Sources:
http://www.beaverislandassociation.org/invasives-2/
http://www.beaverislandassociation.org/
Image Sources:
http://www.midwestconnection.org/Harbors/images/region_maps/beaver_island_hb.jpg
http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/phragmites/phragmites-seed-head-late-fall.jpg
Beaver Island seems like one of the many nature getaways "Pure Michigan" offers. I've been traveling to the Upper Peninsula for about the last 10 years, and I'm still amazed at how remote some of the areas are. It's nice to be able to escape the city and enjoy nature in its natural state. Invasive species can be just as detrimental to areas like Beaver Island as human invasion and city development. As for the Early Detection Rapid Response, this summer for Geography 650 field work I worked at Schiltz Audubon Nature Center and that was our tasked response to invasive species. We were specifically targeting Garlic Mustard and Dames Rocket and removing these species before they are able to seed and reproduce can be very effective. It also deters from more drastic responses like brush cutting and pesticides that can kill native and invasive species.
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