The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is one of the largest conservation organizations in the world today. Their goal is to "save the last great places" on Earth (TNC, 2001). They work in a variety of ways, which include collaborating with landowners to show how putting conservation easements or donating their land to The Nature Conservancy can be beneficial, both to them and the Conservancy. Land of particular interest will be purchased with Nature Conservancy funds in order to monitor the land themselves, or to donate it to local land trusts.

One particular interest, the Quinebaug Highlands forest block, is a 34,000-acre Nature Conservancy project area that borders the northeastern corner of Connecticut and southern Massachusetts. Spanning tracts of Windham, Tolland, and Worchester counties, this forest block is characterized by rural communities and contiguous forests relatively unfragmented by roads. Much of this forest block is already protected and managed by state and local agencies, universities and private non-profit organizations. The Nature Conservancy's main efforts are focused on protecting the privately owned parcels of land (TNC 2001).

As a Goodwin-Niering Center for Conservation Biology and Environmental Studies certificate student, I spent this past summer as the invasive species monitoring and control intern at the Quinebaug Highland forest block for the Connecticut chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Because of the upland habitat of the project area, we surveyed terrestrial invasive species, while focusing on the most abundant invasive species to that region. A list of 10 invasive plant species was considered when assessing the presence of invasive species in an area. These species include Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora), Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus), buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata).

The presence and extent of non-native invasive species in the Quinebaug Highlands Forest block was assessed by examining plots along roads and trails complemented by interior forest plots. The forest interior plots were circular, measuring 15 meters in diameter. At each plot the rapid forest inventory, established by The Nature Conservancy, was conducted. This survey included forest type, condition, and forest composition, noting the most abundant species in each layer of the woods. For the roadside analysis, plots were established every mile down paved roads, dirt roads, and trails. These plots were placed parallel with the road, three meters off the road edge, measuring 5 by 5 meters in area. Spread of these invasive plants was measured back into the forest, perpendicular to the plot.

Present land use and population density were estimated by assigning an appraisal number. These numbers were defined according to surrounding land use. Spatial analysis of the extent of the invasive species was conducted by calculating an index of invasiveness for each plot. These numbers were then placed on a linear scale and bracketed into a 0-7 rating system. Using this index of invasiveness, polygons were established on a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map for the whole project area. These polygons were color coded by their index of invasiveness rating, creating a priority system for removal of invasive species.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which non-native invasive species threaten natural and managed habitats of this region. Further, this study focused on specific species, while also examining overall trends in invasive species distribution relative to current and past land use. This information was used to better understand how these factors might promote or inhibit the spread of these species. Lastly, this study sought to locate an area free of invasive species, which we would later recommend to The Nature Conservancy for protection from encroachment by non-native invasive plant populations.

My internship with The Nature Conservancy this summer greatly enhanced my knowledge of forest ecology, non-native invasive plant species, Geographic Information Systems, and the workings of a conservation organization. My original objectives were met in that I greatly increased my plant identification skills for the local flora. Not only have I become aware of the introduced invasive species in Connecticut, but I have also broadened my knowledge on native species. Seeing both native and non-native species coexisting within the forest block this summer, I was able to witness the negative effects that these invasive species play on a large-scale ecosystem level.

For my senior thesis I plan to do a thorough literature review on the issue of non-native invasive species and their role in conservation. Further, I will do literature reviews for the ten specific invasive species that were focused on during my internship. I plan to perform statistical analysis and use Geographic Information Systems as a tool to analyze the numerical and spatial data collected during my summer internship.