BUFFALO – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District awarded a contract for $1 million Sept. 30, 2013, to Ecology & Environment, Inc. for ecosystem restoration on 31 acres at Walnut Beach in Ashtabula, OH.
Ecology & Environment, Inc. is a recognized global leader in environmental management.
As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the ecosystem restoration project will plan, design, and implement a full-scale project to demonstrate means of removing, adaptively monitoring, and controlling aquatic invasive plants. A particular area of focus is control of the non-native perennial grass Phragmites australis (common reed). Its rapid expansion has devastated aquatic, wetland, and riparian habitats throughout North America. The site encompasses approximately 43 acres, of which approximately 26 acres are dominated by invasive plant species. General treatment options identified for implementation include: mechanical removal, chemical treatment, and habitat modification (restoration).
In 2010, the Obama Administration created the multi-year, multi-agency initiative to restore the Great Lakes. GLRI funds are administered and distributed through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For additional information about the GLRI program visit: http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/GreatLakesRestorationInitiative.aspx.
Release no. 13-003