These women teach First Nations how to stop an invasive plant from choking Ontario's ecosystems

An Indigenous woman in London is educating First Nation communities across southwestern Ontario about an invasive plant species that blocks land and waterways, interfering with traditional hunting and fishing.

It's Danalynn Williams's effort to rid the region of phragmites — an invasive plant that steals water and nutrients from anything it grows around.  

"In Walpole, there are acres and acres of phragmites, it's unbelievable," Williams said. "I don't remember the lakes being like that and when you go out to fish, they've cut trails just so people can get through the phrags. It's just devastating because it's a part of our culture."

Williams has founded the non-profit First Nation Phragmites Control (FNPC), and has partnered with a province-wide group that gets rid of the invasive plant, which damages biodiversity, wildlife, and wetlands.

Williams, a member of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, grew up on Walpole Island First Nation in Lambton County. Phragmites interrupt the natural relationship Indigenous people have with their land, she said. 

Chippewas of the Thames, Walpole Island, Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point, Aldverille, Curve Lake, Aamjiwnaang and Moraviantown First Nations have all partnered with FNPC. 

Williams is working with Invasive Phragmites Control Centre (IPCC) to help those communities learn about phragmites and how they can be eliminated in an environmentally responsible way. They also help First Nations apply for government grants that will help them control the plant, which can be anywhere between $5,000 up to $50,000. 

Phragmites are an aggressive perennial grass that originate from Eurasia and have been damaging Ontario's ecosystems for decades. The plant spreads quickly and out-competes native species — it also releases toxins from its roots to hinder the growth of and kill surrounding plants, according to Ontario's Invasive Species Program. 

They can grow up to five meters and can survive in standing water and dry areas, making a habitat less inviting for native plants and animals, said IPCC's founder Janice Gilbert.  

"When it out-competes our native plants, that reduces the insect population for our birds. Typically in wetlands, turtles will get into them and they can't get out so we've found dead turtles within phragmites," she said. 

But their impact isn't limited to nature. Phragmites also create issues for humans in recreational areas, and can cause hazards when driving on roads and highways, Gilbert said.  

"They can quickly catch on fire and there have been terrible accidents at road intersections where it blocks your view of stop signs or driveways. Once you start going north, you see them along the highways and that's the real concern," she said. 

Last year, Ontario's government invested $1 million to fight invasive species in the province. Half of those funds are being used to implement a comprehensive plan to tackle phragmites.

Williams found that many First Nations don't know what phragmites are, despite living with their impact, and felt it was important to help communities learn about them.