Pennsylvania Legacies #232: Counterinvasion

Josh Raulerson (00:01):

It is Friday, February 28th, 2025. I’m Josh Raulerson, and this is Pennsylvania Legacies, the podcast from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Well, spring is just around the corner. That means we’re only a couple months out from the return of spotted lantern flies to Pennsylvania since they burst onto the scene a decade ago, those colorful insects have been all but unavoidable around here, physically and otherwise, even if they haven’t yet shown up in your neighborhood. You’ve almost certainly seen some spotted lantern flies on TV or read about them in the news. That kind of blanket coverage has certainly brought attention to the presence of invasive species in the Commonwealth. But lantern flies are just one small piece of a much bigger picture involving invasives. One with serious implications for everything from land management to food production, to tourism and outdoor recreation, and many of the invasive species that concern ecologists are not so easy to spot in recognition of National Invasive Species Awareness Week.

Josh Raulerson (01:01):

On this episode of the podcast, we’re looking at what Pennsylvania is doing and what we can do about invasive plants, insects, and microbes in our state. A special advisory council to the governor has made a number of recommendations to those ends. At the top of the list is an idea that other states in the region have successfully employed. It goes by the acronym, PRISM stands for Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management, and it provides a framework for state and local governments to work with researchers, NGOs, community groups, and citizens to develop strategies tailored for their area. Amy Jewitt is Invasive Species Coordinator with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and a member of the Governor’s Invasive Species Council, which has recommended adoption of a PRISM approach. And here to tell us more about PRISM and provides some more education on invasives in Pennsylvania. She is our guest on this episode of Pennsylvania Legacies. Amy, welcome to the show.

Amy Jewitt (01:57):

Thank you, Josh. Thanks for having me.

Josh Raulerson (01:59):

Why don’t we start off with a little background about Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Certainly well known in our part of the state, but you know, we are heard statewide. So tell us a little about your organization your mission, the work you do, and where invasives fit in with all that.

Amy Jewitt (02:14):

Sure, absolutely. Yeah, so the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy protects and restores exceptional places in our region and provides us with clean waters and healthy forests, wildlife and natural areas for the benefit of present and future generations. We also create green spaces and gardens throughout the region and contribute to the vitality of our cities and towns. And as many people know, we preserve falling water, which is a symbol of people living in harmony with nature. So that’s kind of a broad overview of the Conservancy. As far as where invasives management fits in with all of that, we have various departments within the conservancy that do a lot of work with invasives. For example, our land stewardship Department, watershed conservation, and then also the department that I’m a part of, which is the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. We all do various projects related to invasive species work on conservancy protected lands state owned areas, public spaces, and also private properties.

Amy Jewitt (03:20):

And so my role at the Conservancy is to manage a database called iMapInvasives. This is a program where people can track the locations of where invasive species are being found and also record associated management efforts. So this is a platform that is free to use publicly available. It includes tools where people can not only contribute information, but also look at that information once it’s in the database. We do track an iMap, invasives, all taxa, so plants, animals, and insects. And currently we do have over 400 species that we track, some of which are not yet found in Pennsylvania, but we track them to give people that opportunity to report them if they do find them. But of course, most of them are found in Pennsylvania and they vary as far as their priority level. Some are pretty common, well established. They don’t really do a lot of harm, whereas other ones are very high priority and we know them to be things that we do want to make sure that we’re trying to manage.

Amy Jewitt (04:27):

So in Pennsylvania, the iMapInvasives platform has been available for right around 12 years now. We have over 3,000 user accounts, so it is certainly something that is really growing in its user base. And some of the things I do to try to promote the iMapInvasives program is to host statewide survey events throughout the year one of which is fairly well known, it’s called the Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt that’s been going on now for about five years. And other events that we’ve hosted in the past. We like to give them kind of catchy names. So we’ve got the Water Chestnut Chasers Challenge, the Jumping Worm Jamboree, and then this year, actually in the springtime, we’re hosting a new event called the Lesser Seine Seekers. And so those latter events are ones that are really honed in on a specific species, whereas the scavenger hunt, we actually have a list of around five or 10 species that we’re asking people to search for.

Josh Raulerson (05:28):

What about you as a researcher? What drew you to this field? What are the kinds of questions that you’re asking in your work, and what are you finding out?

Amy Jewitt (05:36):

Yeah, it’s interesting. I didn’t actually early on decide that I wanted to work with invasive species. I kind of fell into it growing up. I was raised on a farm in York County. My dad was a farmer for 27 years, and really instilled a love of the land in me at a very young age. And so as I grew up, I went to, you know, college, went to Penn State University, ma majored in agricultural science, and then while I was still in college, I had an opportunity to do an internship with the Department of Agriculture. At the time, in 2006, they had a, a program called the Plum Pox Virus Eradication Program. And I really didn’t know very much about the program at the time, but I did get involved with it. And it was something, the virus is something that affects stone fruit plants, so things like peaches, plums, apricots and cherries, as well as other things in the prunus genus.

Amy Jewitt (06:37):

You know, I really got to kind of get my feet wet with this invasive species. In this case it was a virus, and got to go out and, you know, survey different private properties, interact with, you know, homeowners and, you know, kind of get that chance to interact with people and do that education and outreach. And then after my time with the Plum Pox Virus Program, my, my first job outside of college was to work for a program in Massachusetts, the Asian Longhorn Beetle Eradication Program in Worcester. And that was really, again, just another really eye-opening experience of seeing how just one thing can make such a devastating impact on an area, in this case, a beetle. You know, I remember why I would be driving into work some days and seeing these, you know, tree lined streets that were marked for the trees were marked for being cut down because they were found to be infested with the beetle. And so that really changed the, you know, the whole community dynamic of, of that area. You know, you take these areas that have well-established trees and then one day they’re gone. And so that really, you know, changes a lot of things.

Josh Raulerson (07:48):

It’s interesting to me that studying a virus was sort of your entry point into this, because I think when, when you say invasive species, what comes to mind for most people is, you know, plants and animals, knotweed, spotted lanternfly and that sort of thing. But in some ways, I guess a virus is sort of the definition of an invasive, but that’s what I wanted to get at. With the terminology that we’re using, what is it that that makes a species invasive, however you want to define that scientifically, or a sort of popular usage? Because there’s, and you alluded to this earlier, there’s the whole spectrum of ways in which organisms that are not originally from a given ecosystem can fit in or not fit in. So how do you think about the difference between the good organisms and the bad organisms, or maybe there’s a more sophisticated way to put it.

Amy Jewitt (08:32):

Yes, I love that question. Well, first start out with what the kind of generalized definition is for an invasive species. So first and foremost, it’s something that’s non-native to an area. So if it’s here in Pennsylvania, it did not originate here in Pennsylvania. And then the second half of that definition is it’s a species that’s known to cause harm to the economy, the environment or human and animal health. It has to be both of those things. And so very often I think people use the term invasive very loosely, or they don’t completely recognize the full definition. So, you know, for example, just because something aggressively like a grapevine or can cause an annoying skin rash like poison ivy you know, both of those examples, they’re actually native species. You know, they are originally from here in Pennsylvania. And so right away, you know, it can’t be invasive because it’s native.

Amy Jewitt (09:30):

So you know, that terminology, again, we have to be very careful of how we use that because there really is an actual definition for what is considered invasive. And then as far as how we think about it versus the, the good species obviously think we’re referring to native there, if you’re using that terminology versus the bad species, the invasives. And I always try to, if I get in this conversation with people, I try to encourage people not to use that language, because ultimately, if you think about it, every species is native to somewhere. So it’s really a matter of actually thinking about an invasive species as just being out of place, not necessarily being bad, you know, because in most cases, these species didn’t come here on their own. They were, you know, we probably facilitated that somehow. People are very good at doing that, whether we realize it or not.

Amy Jewitt (10:23):

And so it’s better to think about that species just being out of place. And obviously now it’s in an environment where the checks and balances as far as what can happen over many, many years, and you know, how things function ecologically, things can just take over when they don’t have those checks and balances in place. But the other thing that I like to mention that is, I think a good thing to keep in mind is, you know, we always think about, oh, all these species are coming to us, and oh, we have all these problems because of it, but some of our native species are actually getting into other places across the world and causing problems too. So an example of that is golden rod which is native to North America, but it has gotten into other parts of the world, and it’s considered invasive in Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. So, you know, it’s a two-way street. It’s a global issue. We’re all dealing with it.

Josh Raulerson (11:18):

There’s so much, there’s so much to unpack in there. And we could have a whole separate conversation about language, but why don’t we focus in on I guess the bad invasives, for lack of a better term, the ones that, that you’re most concerned with, that scientists are watching, that governments are concerned about? Which species are we talking about? Where are they, how do they spread, and how is that process affected by climate change?

Amy Jewitt (11:41):

Great questions. So I’m going to answer your question in maybe a little bit of a different way, because I think you can get yourself in trouble when you say, well, what are the species of greatest concern? Because you can ask that question to five or 10 different people, and you’re going to get five or 10 different answers every time. So how do you really know, right? It’s like, who do you ask? So it’s more, I think along the lines of, you know, thinking about a species as far as what are your goals for managing something, you know, if you’re a land manager and you care about preserving native species or you know, protecting rare threatened or endangered species and habitats, your goals are going to be centered around that. If you’re someone who is working for a program where, you know, your goal is to manage a certain species, you’re going to think of that one as being the biggest priority because that’s what you’re focused on.

Amy Jewitt (12:35):

People that are, you know, working in the healthcare system, you know, Lyme disease is a big deal, right? So we know the connections between Lyme disease and Japanese barberry. And so that would be, again, a focus there. So it’s kind of like, what are your goals? What are your life experiences, and how are you thinking about this issue? And that’s how you’re going to probably relate that. But I think in general, you know, maybe a better way of thinking about it is what are some of the keytones of our natural systems, you know? So for example, invertebrate prep pests and diseases can wipe out some of our keystone trees. So for example, we know hemlock trees, our state tree are being threatened by hemlock woolly ji. So we know that certainly is a critical species among many others, right? Again, it’s, it’s hard to really define like what is those species that really are the most important.

Amy Jewitt (13:29):

And I think unfortunately, a lot of the times the species that get the most attention or we think are the highest priority are the ones that get the most media attention. And so, of course, you know, most people think of, you know, spotted lanternfly. It’s just all over the news in social media. People are writing articles and stories about it. And so it just comes to mind almost right away for most people, whenever we say, well, what’s the biggest threat? Well, what’s in your head already? What are you being exposed to? And unfortunately, you know, there’s a lot of species that maybe aren’t as quote unquote charismatic as spotted lantern fly but are still just as important, right? It’s just not in your face. It’s not like right there on your door step literally in your face, yeah, when you open your door to go out in the morning.

Amy Jewitt (14:15):

But other species, for example, like hydrilla or water chestnut, there are aquatic species that are affecting some of our water bodies in Pennsylvania. And a lot of people don’t know about them because they’re not getting that kind of same, the, the same level of media attention that spotted lanternfly is. Now not to say that spotted lanternfly isn’t important, because obviously we know it is, we know it has a lot of negative impacts to agriculture and other, in other industries. But ultimately it’s a matter of recognizing and keeping in mind that just because something doesn’t get the same level of media attention doesn’t make it less important. And then you also asked about climate change. Obviously this is something that, you know, we are thinking about in terms of invasive species, and as temperatures continue to warm in our state and growing seasons are extended invasive species that were previously geographically limited to areas where the climates were a little warmer are now able to move northward, where the climates were generally a little colder in the past.

Amy Jewitt (15:18):

So an example of that is kudzu. I think a lot of people think of kudzu as being really just a southern species. And actually we do have some of our southern counties in Pennsylvania, I think it’s right around nine right now that I’m aware of, that do have documented occurrences of kudzi. So it is something that’s starting to really expand its reach. Even up here in, in our state some other lesser known species that are also starting to move northward include wavy leaf, basket, grass, water, lettuce, common water, hyacinth and kudzu bug. And so ultimately, you know, again, thinking about the impacts of climate change, it really is disrupting our natural systems. It’s causing additional stressors and our natural habitats and ecosystems and those additional stressors are then allowing these invasive species to come into new places that are already seeing some level of disturbance.

Josh Raulerson (16:16):

Really important disclaimer that when you’re talking about invasives and, and putting the focus on one species or another, it’s very context-specific, right? It’s, it’s, it’s all about how you, what your goals are in, in managing a particular piece of land or a, a very specific context. However, since we’re in Pennsylvania and you sit on an advisory board for the governor dealing with this issue, what is the focus of, of that work? What is I guess the Department of Agriculture thinking about what are they focused on in terms of invasives what are we dealing with in Pennsylvania?

Amy Jewitt (16:48):

Sure. Yeah. So kind of a two part question there. So I’ll touch first on the governor’s Invasive Species Council. So that is group that I’ve been a part of now for several years representing the Conservancy. It includes membership from our state agencies and other non-governmental organizations. But the goal of that committee is really to be an advisory board to the governor so we can make sure that we are having current up-to-date information that we are sharing. The, the council does have a statewide management plan for invasive species that really has, you know, certain goals and other kind of higher level aspects of the issues surrounding invasive species outlined there including prevention, you know, of, of species education and outreach, and of course the need for funding. You know, that’s such a big thing. When it comes to the issue of invasives in Pennsylvania, you know, we really need to get more funding in order to address the issue.

Amy Jewitt (17:54):

And so for several years now, right around when Covid started is when the governor’s council wanted to get started on an initiative called PRISM, and that’s an acronym for Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management. And essentially the concept behind PRISM is to do invasive species management and other affiliated work across the state. So it would be, the whole state would be covered. The council came up with a plan to actually have the state divided into six distinct regions, and each of those regions would be funded through funding from the state budget, and then that funding would be allotted to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and then filtered down to individual host organizations for each of the six different regions. And then those regions, by having and facilitating more of a partnership type of model would be doing things like invasive species prevention, surveys and management developing early detection and rapid response capacity preserving ecosystem services, protecting, threatened and endangered species, protecting and improving our soil, air and water quality, mitigating issues related to climate change and so on and so forth. And so there’s partnerships would be very diverse as far as who comprises them. So not only would the governmental side of things be involved, but also private industry conservation and environmental organizations, scientific groups, and then, you know, your everyday folks as well. So farmers and gardeners, hunters, anglers, hikers, and then just your, you know, community scientists as well. Obviously the Department of Agriculture would be a really important piece of that because that’s how the funding would then be allotted to the PRISMs.

Josh Raulerson (19:49):

Where does all of this fit with what’s happening maybe in other states? Are there examples that you looked toward or interesting innovations happening elsewhere that might be applicable in our context?

Amy Jewitt (20:00):

Yeah, yeah. So in New York, the PRISM model has been utilized now for around 15 years or so and very successfully. They actually have eight regions in New York where they have these, you know, this PRISM model in place in a local host organization is kind of leading the charge as far as the work that they are doing. And so it’s been really a great kind of role model to look to for Pennsylvania to see that they have been successful as far as the funding of it. I know New York gets their funding right around $5 million a year from their environmental protection fund. And so Pennsylvania, you know, of course is hoping for something similar to that. So far we have not been able to receive funding, but we’re not giving up hope, and the council continues to really be very involved and try to continue to, to lead this effort to get PRISM going in Pennsylvania, because ultimately we see that being the, not necessarily the silver bullet solution, but really, you know, just a, a big step up from where we are right now.

Amy Jewitt (21:04):

Because unfortunately in our state, a lot of the work that is being done with invasive species is being funded through, you know, kind of grant efforts or just other funding that may not always be very sustainable, or it’s restricted in what it is able to accomplish. And maybe you only can work on a certain species, or you’re limited to a geographic area or, you know, other things that kind of go along with how grants work. But ultimately, you know, we see something along the lines of trying to do what New York is doing. I will also mention that Virginia also has a PRISM in place, the Blue Ridge PRISM, and just last spring they received just under $5 million to do work in relation to expanding out their PRISM programs as well, as well as increasing their, their capacity to do work with invasive species within their state agencies. So there is work and there is funding and, and all of that happening in various places. And so we know it can happen for us, it’s just a matter of continuing to make the case for why PRISM is really a, a good idea for Pennsylvania.

Josh Raulerson (22:12):

Well, and I mean, the elephant in the room for funding purposes with NGOs obviously is what’s happening at the federal level. It sounds like a lot of this is pretty, pretty local and state level stuff. How does whatever is going on in D.C. right now affect the outlook for organizations like yours?

Amy Jewitt (22:29):

Great question. Yeah, there’s a lot going on in D.C., a lot of unknowns around that. I’m not sure I can speak too much to it because there’s still so much that we don’t yet know what’s going to happen. But, you know, ultimately we are going to still keep moving. We’re going to keep moving forward and just do the best we can with the circumstances that we have because it’s not, it’s not something we want to give up on. Right. You know, and I’m a very much a glass half full kind of person, and so I want to see past the, the struggles or the hurdles that we may have currently and, and know that we just need to keep pressing on, even if we know that there is some trouble ahead. But again, this, this is worth it, you know, I really, I’ve been doing this long enough and I’ve, and I’ve come to kind of understand the benefits that will come from having a statewide program like PRISM in place, and I see it being something that’s just, it’s the next best thing that we can pursue for our state.

Josh Raulerson (23:27):

I want to go back a little bit to something you said about spotted lanternflies to focus on that particular critter. What, what is it about the spotted lanternfly that has made it so, I, I guess charismatic is the word, although I don’t, it’s not the first one that comes to mind for me, but why has that particular bug been so visible, and how has that visibility affected what you do? I can see it being potentially kind of a double-edged sword in that there’s broader awareness of the issue of invasives, but maybe some misconceptions as well.

Amy Jewitt (23:56):

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I think one thing is that it, it can move, you know, I think in general and like anything that an animal that can just move around or it sometimes is cute or something like that, you know, it just, it grabs our attention more than a plant that just is stationary and it doesn’t really do very much. And so that’s one of the things, obviously it’s got going for it, but again, it’s just, it’s so in your face, like right in the summer months and when the nymphs and especially the adults are, are out flying around, you know, you can’t help but see it. It’s on the sidewalks, it’s on your car, it’s, it’s everywhere. And of course, the news media is covering it like crazy because it’s just so in your face. So, you know, in, in some ways that can be detrimental because when you’re talking about the topic of invasive species, you know, so often one or two things float to the surface, and that’s all people really know or want to talk about.

Amy Jewitt (24:53):

And yet we know, as you know, conservationists and scientists and researchers that there is so much more to the picture of invasive species than just one or two things. And it’s really been and continues to be a goal of so many people in this field to raise awareness of those other species. And it can be very difficult to do if all the media is covering as one or two species. And, and really that’s how you reach the masses, right? It’s through those large media channels. And certainly, you know, local and more grassroots education is fantastic too, don’t get me wrong, but it is sort of like an uphill battle when, you know, some of these larger outlets are just covering and just talking about what, one or two things. But the way that I try to spin it anyway, or at least take advantage of that attention that spotted lantern fly is getting, for example, is to start a conversation and to say, Hey, let’s talk about invasives.

I’m pretty sure you already know about one <laugh>. Can I talk to you about something else, too, right? Take that kind of mindset of the issues that we know this species presents as far as to the economy, to the environment. And let me tell you about this other species that has impacts as well, something that maybe you haven’t heard of before, especially some of our emerging invaders, right? Species that are fairly rare in the state, but are ones that we may really need to focus on, especially for rapid response efforts. That’s a term that is used often in in our field, is early detection, rapid response. And if you can deal with the species early on and even potentially manage it to a level that really keeps it you know, under wraps or even eradicate it, that’s fantastic, right? I mean, unfortunately something like spotted lantern fly, I think we’ve kind of come to know that it’s going to be here, it’s going to not necessarily be something we can ever fully get rid of. And so it’s something that we just have to manage over time. But ultimately, again, using that, that thing that people already know about or are familiar with, and using that as a way to leverage a conversation where you can talk about something that maybe they don’t already know about, and thus expanding their awareness of the issue and the species that maybe are already around them and they just don’t realize it.

Josh Raulerson (27:13):

So with all this awareness and concern, you know, apart from the difficulties that that poses maybe first kind of communications and education in your work, are there other downsides or risks associated with this widespread awareness and all the discussion about invasives?

Amy Jewitt (27:30):

Yeah, absolutely. So I think that with so many different issues or topics, the more that the public is exposed to it, the more they learn about it, but the more maybe they’re learning or thinking things that are not necessarily true or accurate. So one of the things that can happen, especially for plant species where we want to manage them is potential overuse or misuse of pesticides and herbicides. And ultimately that can really harm our native species, which are the things that we’re trying to protect ultimately when we’re managing invasives. And so, as you know, there’s continued growing awareness around invasive species that can in lead to increased circulation of some of that misinformation, which can take the form of someone misidentifying a species, again, ultimately harming the native species and perhaps the spread of poor or outdated management tactics by non-experts.

Something else that I think is just kind of easy to hap easy to happen for some people is once they know about an issue or a certain species that maybe is on their property that they want to treat, they’re going to treat what’s right in front of them, what they see, and what’s kind of like a low hanging fruit. But the problem with that is anytime you’re doing management of a species, it’s really important to take a deeper dive into fully understanding what is the big picture. Like, look at your property as a whole, and yeah, you see Japanese bar bear in front of you, for example, but is there, you know, mile-a-minute vine, there is there pritt is there, you know, just other species that are present that are also contributing to what’s going on and also deserve some type of management.

Amy Jewitt (29:18):

And so it’s again, really important to see that bigger picture, prioritize the things that you want to work on, because ultimately, almost always in the realm of invasive species work, you need to prioritize your work. You can’t just, you know, say, I’m going to do this and I’m going to do that and expect to have the outcome that you desire. It doesn’t usually work that way. And so it’s really good to make thoughtful and strategic decisions especially for land managers that are working in very large areas like state parks, for example, and really basing their management decisions on that larger picture rather than just like on a quick or a biased opinion. Something else that can happen is when we make a non-native species a commodity, like for example, there can be fishing tournaments that people host for invasive snakehead as a way to get the snake heads out of the water bodies, but maybe people enjoy it too much, you know, and they’re like, oh, it’s fun to fish for snakehead and I want to spread it somewhere else so I can go and participate in another tournament.

Amy Jewitt (30:19):

Or feral swine, you know, that’s another species not super prevalent, thankfully in Pennsylvania. But you know, there is in certain cases hunting that’s allowed. And so again, we want to make sure we’re not encouraging it to the point that we’re actually making the problem worse. Again, it’s like you want to educate the public, but you also want to keep in mind some of the unintended consequences that can happen as well. And I don’t have the answer for how to avoid or prevent all of that, but I think that continued education and outreach to target audiences is really one of the best ways that you can hopefully manage that issue.

Josh Raulerson (30:56):

Can I ask about Japanese barberry? Because I could have sworn it was banned in Pennsylvania and it, I’m surrounded by it. Every single house on my block, including new construction and landscaping that’s going in right now, it’s all Japanese barberry. What’s going on? <Laugh>, can you explain that?

Amy Jewitt (31:14):

Yeah, so Japanese barberry was added to the Pennsylvania noxious weed list not that long ago. And there was a grace period involved in that listing that essentially said that growers and sellers of that plant could continue to sell it up until, you know, that two year mark was over. And that essentially was giving those businesses the opportunity to not, you know, suffer too much from that change. And then basically then allow them to offer, you know, hopefully native alternatives or something else in its place. But for Japanese Barberry, I do know that there were some select species, some, like, cultivars, I believe, that are still allowed to be sold. And that what all went through the process with the Department of Agriculture as far as which ones of those species are still allowed to be sold.

So that’s maybe why you’re still seeing some, some Japanese barberry plants, they might be on the okay list from the Department of Agriculture. But, you know, ultimately it’s one of those things that Barberry has been landscaped with for so long now that we’re probably always going to see it in our landscape because it’s been quote unquote grandfathered in because it’s already been so widely used. And I, again, I think it’s just, it’s something that goes back to the whole education outreach thing of landscapers, homeowners, you know, we, we go purchase these plants, what’s in our budget? What can I fit in? What’s going to work in my landscape? What’s not going to get eaten by a deer <laugh>? Like, that’s obviously, you know, a really big consideration for people, but it’s not always something we think about as far as like, is this something that’s going to be problematic for the environment?

Amy Jewitt (32:59):

It’s not going to be a problem in your yard. It’s a matter of, okay, you’ve planted it now in various ways, it can escape into a natural area, and that’s where we know it’s going to cause a lot of problems. And so ultimately eliminating it from the source. So your yard is how we eliminate the problem that’s going to happen ultimately in those natural areas. You know, we know, and for such a long time now, there are so many lovely and wonderful native plants that we can put on our properties. There’s actually some really great online tools that Audubon offers, as well as the National Fish and Wildlife Service. You can actually type in your zip code into these tools, and it will give you a list of native species that are native literally to your area. And then you can have essentially a resource to go out and say, okay, I know I want to purchase these plants on my property rather than ones where I know that it can cause an issue.

Amy Jewitt (33:58):

And, and it’s just a really great tool that I think the public has been needing for a long time because so many people say, you know, native, native, native, okay, well, well, what is native? And, and also, where do I go to get it? And so I think just a little bit of digging for people, it might be required, but ultimately in the long run, you’re, you’re having such a huge benefit on your local environment, the species that need those certain native plants in order to even eat. You know, because a lot of our native species are very host specific, and if there isn’t a certain plant in your yard, they don’t have that ability to survive, essentially. And so there’s a connection there between, you know, what host plants connect with certain insects, and then obviously if you’ve got more insects in your landscape, you’re going to have more birds in your landscape because the birds need the insects to survive. Doug Tallamy has all that information in his books, so I won’t reiterate that here. But yeah, ultimately there’s, you know, huge benefits from having more native species in our landscapes and non-natives are okay too, but again, steering clear of the invasives should be a goal for most people.

Josh Raulerson (35:10):

And I, I can absolutely co-sign everything you said about the resources available from Audubon. I just completed the, the Backyard Habitat Certification Program and was blown away at just the wealth of information and how accessible it was and how forthcoming their, their staff were and, and working with people. It’s a fantastic program. So there’s the Audubon materials, there’s, I mean, you mentioned Doug Tallamy. Any other information resources or educational resources that you would point people toward to learn more?

Amy Jewitt (35:38):

Yeah, so if folks want to go to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s website at waterlandlife.org on our website, there is going to be a, a list of resources in relation to invasive species that folks can check out. And those are not only resources that are originating from the conservancy, but others as well. So we have information on there about the Department of Conservation and natural resources invasive plant fact sheets, the noxious weed list, if you’re curious to see what species have been added to that, and all the information we talked about related to the Japanese barberry would be on there. And yeah, just a variety of things. Actually, one other thing I did want to mention that is highlighted on that list is a new documentary film that I actually had the absolute pleasure of being an executive producer for. It was just released last year. It’s called Seeing the Unseen: Aquatic Invaders and What’s At Stake.

Amy Jewitt (36:39):

And that film focuses on Northwest Pennsylvania and some very specific invasive species issues that are occurring there, but also, which relate to a lot of what’s going on in Pennsylvania. And so kind of the, the key takeaways from that film are how invasive species and specifically aquatic invasive species can impact recreation and the things that we enjoy doing on the weekends and in the summer months. And so places like Presque Isle are highlighted, French Creek and also Lake Pleasant, which is something that the conservancy has been very involved in, and a, a property that we protect activities like boating and fishing and just being out and enjoying nature and the biodiversity that we see in nature, how that’s all impacted by invasive species. And so there’s some specific ones that we highlight, narrow leaf and hybrid cattails and invasive fish known as the round Gobi, and then an invasive algae, starry stone wart that is in the lagoons at Presque Isle.

Amy Jewitt (37:45):

And so these things are unfortunately, often invisible to so many people in the public, and that’s actually where we got the title for the film, Seeing the Unseen, because just because you’re not noticing it doesn’t mean it’s not there, and it doesn’t mean it’s not causing issues in, in many ways that unfortunately a lot of the times invasive species cause issues in such a gradual and slow way that it doesn’t always catch our attention the same way that, for example, the wildfire is out in California catch our attention. So anytime something is happening very slowly and gradually, it just is something that kind of gets put on the back burner for so many people. And so we created this film as a way to try to engage more people with the issue, have them recognize that these issues exist, and hopefully help them see them themselves when they’re out doing these activities.

Amy Jewitt (38:40):

And also, we in the film provide tidbits of advice and information for what people can do. You know, like, yeah, here’s this issue, but what can you do to be a part of the solution? And so, you know, we highlight the importance of cleaning your gear. So if you’re a boater, a kayaker, or a canoer, whenever you’re finished boating and you take your boat out of the water, it’s important to, you know, wipe down your boat or just check to make sure there’s no plant fragments or any you know organisms that might be coming with you when you’re bringing out your boat. There’s actually a mobile unit that the PA Lake Management Society purchased. It’s called a CD three unit, and it actually allows boat to use high powered like an air pressure hose to clean off their gear and has like brushes and other things that right as you’re pulling your, your boat out of the water, this unit is at select water bodies that you can utilize it.

Amy Jewitt (39:38):

And it’s specifically made to prevent the spread of invasive species. That’s not actually highlighted in the film, but again, we’re talking about, you know, what, what boaters and anglers can do if you’re a fisherman. We highlight someone, his name’s Greg, he’s fishing at French Creek, and he talks about not using live bait on purpose because he doesn’t want to accidentally introduce something into an area that doesn’t belong there. And so that’s why he uses Artificial Lo. And so even like some of these small things that, you know, you might not think about, it makes a huge difference because ultimately in, in so many ways, the best way we can fight invasive species is to prevent them from spreading from one place to another. Unfortunately, once something kind of comes into an area and becomes established, there’s little you can do. I mean, you can do things, I shouldn’t say there’s little you can do, but it’s hard to eradicate something, I guess is probably the better way of saying it.

Amy Jewitt (40:36):

So making sure that something doesn’t come into a new area in the first place is really the best bet. And I think the thing that we really should try to instill in the public as much as possible. And so I would encourage folks to check that out. The film is available to watch for free on YouTube, and there is some events that are coming up this year that are listed on the conservancy’s website where the public can actually go to a showing of the film. And in some cases, there’s actually a panel of experts that’s going to be available right after the film that will help to answer people’s questions about it. So I think it’s a really great tool in our tool belt. Probably very biased in saying that, but we had a really great time creating the film. We worked with film company, great Lakes Media and film. It was a husband and wife team, and they were fantastic to work with. The footage they captured was just phenomenal. We originally were thinking the film was going to be about five or 10 minutes long, and then they got all this great footage and it ended up being 44 minutes long. So we just, we couldn’t cut out anything. It was wonderful. So I would certainly encourage people to check that out.

Josh Raulerson (41:42):

I can relate to that editor’s dilemma. I’m going to be up against it when I get this podcast episode ready to post <laugh>.

Amy Jewitt (41:48):

Good luck!

Josh Raulerson (41:49):

Thanks. We, we didn’t even really get into sort of the economic impacts of invasives in a place like Pennsylvania. And certainly when you think about the least obvious ones, outdoor recreation is up there, and that is at the core of what Pennsylvania Environmental Council does. So I feel like there’s maybe a whole other conversation to be had about that in the future. And maybe also about the film. Amy Jewitt from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, thank you so much for being on Pennsylvania Legacies. It was great talking with you.

Amy Jewitt (42:16):

Thank you, Josh. I appreciate the opportunity.

Josh Raulerson (42:24):

Amy Jewitt, with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, serves on the Governor’s Invasive Species Council. Learn more about their recommendations, including the PRISM model in the show notes for this episode. There, you’ll also find more background on invasives in PA and what’s at stake for our ecology, our economy, and the Health of Pennsylvanians. We’ll also include a link to the documentary film that Amy mentioned, Seeing the Unseen. You’ll find it all on the PEC website, along with information about PEC’s program work in watersheds trails and outdoor recreation, and our policy advocacy on clean energy and other areas, including outdoor recreation and the $17 billion economy that it supports in Pennsylvania. Lots to learn pecpa.org. You can also follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Blue Sky, Instagram, and that other one. That’s all for this time. We’ll have more Pennsylvania legacies conversations coming up next month. Until then, for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, I’m Josh Raulerson. Thanks for listening.