MONITORING & MANAGEMENT
European Frog-bit Monitoring
Detecting an invasive species early provides the most realistic chance for management activities to successfully eradicate the population. However, aquatic invasive plants are often cryptic and difficult to locate before widespread population growth. Detecting a species requires thorough surveillance of all preferred habitat for a given species. Documentation of surveillance efforts provides critical information on where the target species is found and where it is not.
The European Frog-bit Collaborative is developing a series of ArcGIS tools to assist managers in the Great Lakes region with monitoring and delimiting European frog-bit.
Delimiting European frog-bit in the Great Lakes region
The delimitation app is designed to collect European frog-bit (EFB) surveillance data across a broad range of environments including large waterbodies such as coastal wetlands, inland lakes, or rivers. All data will be collected on the “EFB Collab AIS Survey map” in the ArcGIS Field Maps app. The application ensures standardized data collection across all locations surveyed for EFB. Positive observations are sent yearly to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) for inclusion in their database.
The app requires an ArcGIS Collector account. Request access to join the group here: https://bit.ly/EFBapp. See section above for requesting a free community account.
Delimitation App Resources
- For all resources, visit the Hub Site!
- View delimitation mapper (note: only ArcGIS online group members can see Collaborative data!)
- Standard Operating Procedure
- Video training resources
Frog-BATT
The Frog-BATT (European Frog-bit Before-and-After Treatment Tracker) app allows you to monitor before and after managing EFB, and also submit treatment information. This data will be used to determine which techniques are working to reduce EFB infestations across the Great Lakes basin. It is designed so that data gathered from both treatment and untreated control areas can be used to determine potential treatment impacts to EFB and non-target aquatic plants species, identify control techniques and strategies that need further investigation, provide preliminary data on EFB distribution, reproductive biology and phenology, and habitat requirements, and summarize where, by whom, and how EFB is being managed on the local, state, and basin-wide scales. Frog-BATT is ready for use can be accessed at the EFB’s ArcGIS Hub site: hub.efbcollaborative.net.
View the Standard Operating Procedures here.
Prioritizing monitoring and management locations
The EFB Collaborative’s Prioritization Workgroup is creating a tool for prioritizing sites for monitoring or management of European Frog-bit. The app allows users to choose which of over 40 different spatial layers to use in ArcGIS’ Suitability Modeler to help prioritize sites. There is currently a a DEMO version of the application focused on Green Bay, Wisconsin, but the app will eventually expand to throughout the Great Lakes. For more information and a demo of the new app, visit the EFB Hub site.
Resources & Publications
Twitter Image: Protect Habitat
European Frog-bit Collaborative
Twitter Image: Preserve Habitat
European Frog-bit Collaborative
Status and strategy for European frog-bit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae L.) management
Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Central Michigan University