The Phragmites Working Group Lake Bernard has several suggestions for the next Ontario Government on how to better tackle invasive plant species.
Spokesperson Marilee Koenderink says the Sundridge-area group — also known as Phrag Fighters — wants to see more adequate funding for agencies that take on non-native plants.
This includes organizations like the Invasive Species Centre, the Ontario Invasive Plant Council, local conservation authorities, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, municipalities, and the Green Shovels Collaborative which is several conservation groups that address issues like invasive plants.
From Feb. 18-20 Koenderink took part in the 2025 Invasive Species Forum which was an international webinar event that addressed the damage invasive plants cause, not just to nature but also to human health and infrastructure.
Koenderink says invasive plants can date their roots to the 1800s when it was fashionable for wealthy people to introduce exotic plants in their countries.
“There was an emphasis on having a lot of neat and exotic plants,” Koenderink said.
“There was no talk at that time of how invasive they were. We know better now and recognize that invasive plants should not be growing in our native environments.”
Webinar participants learned how New Zealand took on invasive species by banning the sale and distribution of the destructive plants in that country and Koenderink says this effort has been successful.
The Phrag Fighters would like to see the next Ontario Government consider similar measures.
Additionally, Koenderink says thought should be given to regulating invasive plants in the horticultural trade and to further support innovative nursery growers who capitalize on native plants that support native pollinators, wildlife and food production. Agriculturalists face damaged produce because invasive plants land on their farms.
It makes economic sense to help municipalities facing invasive species challenges because the damage they do to infrastructure or people’s basements is considerable, she explained.
“Try selling a house that has invasive plants coming through the basement floor,” Koenderink said.
See: Herbicides are the way to eradicate invasive plant in Almaguin Highlands, local councils told
And: Anti-phragmites warriors win four-year battle at Tiny Marsh
Doing little or nothing to combat invasive species means spending a lot more money in the future when the plants become a problem and people face a harder fight eradicating them because the plants spread so easily, she said.
However, going after phragmites after the plant has been detected early makes it easier to restore the natural habitat for freshwater turtles, fish, frogs, birds and insects.
Koenderink says all these life forms have been and are threatened by these invasive species.
The Phrag Fighters have a goal of eliminating all phragmites in their area by 2033.
On March 11, several Phrag Fighters will visit Tamarack Lane off Sunny Ridge Road in Sunridge to remove dead phragmites stalks that were treated with herbicide last summer.
Last year’s effort will allow native plants to recover and the return visit in March will make it easier to spot any new phragmites, Koenderink said.
The event will be rescheduled in case of extreme cold or a snow storm and Phrag Fighters should contact her at [email protected] to confirm that the work is still scheduled.
The stakeholders that make up the Phragmites Working Group Lake Bernard are the municipalities of Sundridge, Strong and Joly in addition to the Lake Bernard Property Owners Association and the Near North Enviro Education Centre.
Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.