On Saturday, March 19, 2005 a group of volunteers from the Grosse Ile Nature and Land Conservancy met at the BASF lots at the north end of Grosse Ile (North of Bridge Road, West side of Meridian, between Annette and Paulina) to remove an invasive species, Phragmites australis, from the property.

Phragmites alter the structure and function of diverse marsh ecosystems by changing species composition, nutrient cycles and water flow. Dense Phragmites stands decrease native biodiversity and the quality of wetland habitat, particularly for migrating waders and waterfowl species. The plants can grow to over twelve feet tall and spread by seeds or rhizomes. The rhisomes can be more than twenty feet in length.

The tops of the phragmites were cut off and bagged. The stalks were cut and left on the ground. When the stalks have regrown to about one foot, the stalks will be cut again. In September the stalks will be treated with a herbicide.