Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space in partnership with the Upper Raritan Watershed Association, have developed the Central Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team (CJISST). The Strike Team represents the state's first comprehensive effort toward cooperative management of invasive plants through public-private partnerships. The counties of Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union of New Jersey are within CJISST's project area.

The Strike Team is surveying public and private lands for emerging invasive species in New Jersey's Piedmont and Highlands regions. Early Detection/Rapid Response (ED/RR) to emerging invasives is key to stopping their spread and negative impacts in natural areas.

Staff, partner and volunteer Field Survey Teams utilize GPS technology to map and record the location and density of emerging populations of invasive species. The infestations are ranked so that the team can prioritize eradication efforts. Please visit http://cjisst.org/ to learn more.

To learn more, please contact CJISST project partners:
Michael Van Clef, PhD, Stewardship Director,
Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space
Michael@fohvos.org or 609.730.1560

Melissa Almendinger, Invasive Species Coordinator,
Upper Raritan Watershed Association
Melissa@urwa.org or 908.234.1852

Click here to read more about invasive plants in our Autumn 2007 newsletter. Scroll to "Stewardship Corner" on page 5.