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Spartina open house to be held Feb. 2 at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen

OLYMPIA – How serious is the spartina cord grass infestation in Grays Harbor and what is being done to prevent the expansion of the invasive weed as it moves into this coastal county? Local residents will have a chance to find out Feb. 2 when an open house on spartina is held at Grays Harbor Community College in Aberdeen.

The open house is sponsored jointly by the state departments of Agriculture, Fish & Wildlife, Natural Resources, the Grays Harbor County Noxious Weed Board and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Hillier Union Building (HUB) cafeteria on campus.

Residents are encouraged to drop in any time during the two-hour period to view display boards, talk to subject matter experts and pick up literature.
“We want residents to know the threat spartina poses to the harbor and what is being done to eradicate it,” said Kyle Murphy, Washington’s statewide spartina coordinator.

Spartina is a tough, aggressive cord grass that sprouts each spring, grows to heights of six or seven feet by late summer, and then dies back by late fall. The weed destroys shorebird, fish, and native plant habitat; converts mudflats to meadows; and increases the threat of flooding. Also, the local shellfish industry would suffer catastrophic damage if spartina became established in Grays Harbor, according to Murphy and shellfish growers.

Only 10 to 15 acres in the harbor are currently infested, said Murphy. “But once spartina is established, it spreads very quickly through seed production and below-ground root growth,” he stated.

The worst spartina infestation in Washington continues to be in Willapa Bay. The non-native species was introduced in the 1890s in the form of packing material for oysters being shipped from the East Coast. While less than 300 acres of Willapa Bay were covered by the weed in the early 1960s, the infestation ballooned to more than 8,000 acres by 2003. Through WSDA control efforts, coverage has been reduced to 5,700 acres. Agency officials are hopeful most cord grass could be gone in Willapa Bay by 2008 or 2009.

“We can’t let coverage by this invasive species explode in Grays Harbor just as it did in Willapa Bay,” said Murphy. “It’s important that we act fast before this problem gets out of control.”

Persons with spartina questions may call the Department of Agriculture’s toll-free hotline (1-800-443-6684) or visit the agency’s Web site (www.agr.wa.gov) and click respectively on “Plants & Insects,” “Weeds,” and “Spartina.”

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