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Happy New Year! Blog updated 12/31 -------------------------------------------------------- Rhode Island town to control sand sedge The Associated Press, Published: December 29, 2008 MIDDLETOWN, R.I.—Middletown is planning to eradicate a species of invasive beach grass from Sachuest Beach that could cause erosion and weaken dunes. Town Administrator Shawn Brown tells The Newport Daily News that the areas affected by sand sedge will be sprayed with a herbicide in the spring, well before the start of beach season. Brown says the sand sedge [likely to be Carex kobomugi ] has choked out the native species in some areas. The sand sedge was discovered earlier this year by a researcher working on an unrelated project. Town officials and experts have been investigating various potential solutions since then. Officials are not sure how the Asian species arrived in town. The town received approval for the removal plan from the Coastal Resources Management Council. Link --------------------------...

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas! -------------------------------------------------------- Mussel sightings have raised concerns By Molly Murray, The News Journal A decade ago, scientists in Delaware and Maryland were on high alert for zebra mussels, a creature that reproduces so quickly that thousands could quickly reduce the stream of water through intake pipes to a trickle. But over the years, as zebra mussels stayed to the north, south and west, people here pretty much stopped thinking about them -- until last month, when they started showing up in the Maryland portion of the Susquehanna River. The mussels aren't the only species concerning state regulators. Invasive plants such as rock snot, a problem in the upper Delaware River, can also be a major concern, Miller said. He said some states are looking at banning felt bottoms on fishermen's wading boots. The felt, used to help prevent slips and falls, can pick up potentially invasive plants. Zebra mussels get their name ...