Invasive Species Management Strategy

Invasive species are common in many areas of Massachusetts, including many Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries. Eradicating all the invasive species on our wildlife sanctuaries and preventing their return is a task that we cannot achieve with the resources available to us.

To insure that our invasive species management efforts are as effective as possible, Mass Audubon developed a strategy to guide our work. This strategy focuses our efforts on achieving the five key goals.

• Prevent the establishment of new populations of known or suspected invasive species.
• Protect populations of rare and endangered native species from invasive species.
• Protect rare and exemplary natural communities from invasive species.
• Restore potentially high quality natural communities already degraded by invasive species where feasible and sustainable.
• Protect actively managed habitats (e.g. grasslands) that are being managed to support species or suites of species (e.g. grassland nesting birds) that are uncommon or rare in Massachusetts.

Mass Audubon Policy on the Use of Pesticides 

There are several management methods that can be used to control invasive species. One of these methods is the use of pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. When invasive species infestations are small, simple manual control such as hand pulling of invasive plants may be sufficient. With some larger infestations, the use of pesticides may be the only practical means of control.

Mass Audubon uses an integrated pest management approach to insure that any use of pesticides on Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries is undertaken in a manner that will minimize the potential for impacts to non-target species.