They don’t have a heartbeat, they don’t speak, they have no mercy toward their victims, they multiply into swarms of them, and worse, they are hard to kill. No, I’m not talking about the Zombie’s in the post-apocalyptic world of The Walking Dead, I’m talking about the Japanese Knotweed invasion that is here and now in the friendly Village of Downers Grove, Illinois, located about 22 miles west of Chicago.
Japanese Knotweed is a fast-growing invasive plant that is native to Asia. Unfortunately knotweed has infested stream and creek banks, floodplain forests, road sides, and other areas with moist soil.
Knotweed leafs out early in the spring before native plants and is able to outshade and displace those plants. Many native animals that depend on native plants lose shelter and food throughout the infested area as well. Its large underground network of roots and rhizomes, and its ability to grow through the smallest of cracks can wreak havoc on structures, drains, streets, sidewalks, walls and fences. The shallow root system does not protect against erosion resulting in degraded and unstable stream banks and turbid water.
I am the Village Engineer and Stormwater Administrator and I had never even heard of JK until I received a call early last year from Cathy McGlynn, Coordinator of the Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership (NIIPP). She explained that the large flowering plants along the St. Joseph Creek Main Branch and portions of our right-of-way was actually this Zombie plant! Cathy said she had grant money from the USEPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and asked if I would be interested in helping her fight our common enemy.
We joined forces with the DuPage County Forest Preserve District and the Downers Grove Park District, as we all have properties along the infested portion of the creek. We placed door hangers and sent out letters to all the residents along the creek inviting them to a meeting to learn about the problems with JK and how they could participate in the program to receive the first season of free treatment from Integrated Lakes Management. Many residents signed on, and the hope is that they will continue the fight on their own. Most of the creek flows through private property, so it will be difficult to completely treat along the entire length of the creek.
But we aren’t giving up the battle just yet! We recently advertised for SOQs (Statement of Qualifications) of firms that have expertise in stream corridor assessment of the nearly 5 miles of open creek channel to provide a comprehensive assessment report of the creek system to identify any deficiencies that may need repair or restoration, including infestation by invasive species. Once we have the assessment completed, we will be better equipped to fight and kill the Zombie plants!
For more information on how to treat Japanese Knotweed, go to http://www.niipp.net
Karen Daulton Lange, PE, CFM is the Village Engineer/Stormwater Administrator for the Village of Downers Grove, IL, named by Forbes Magazine a top 10 “America’s Friendliest Town”. No sightings of actual Zombies have occurred as of press-time.
