Phragmites and turtle populations at Long Point

A snapping turtle hatchling is released north of Long Point Park on August 21, 2025, where the wetland is recovering after serious phragmites treatment.

Leah Bauer

Advocate Contributor

As the long-awaited spring slowly returns to Ontario, residents of Norfolk County and surrounding cities are preparing to flock to Norfolk’s beautiful beaches in the coming weeks and months.

When the majority of people think about our beaches and the surrounding marsh they might think of sunny days, delicious food, and summer fun. The word phragmites might not even cross the average person’s mind. 

Phragmites are a species of reed that exist in many ecosystems, including our local marshes, in both native and invasive forms. Ontario Wildlife and Nature identifies invasive phragmites as “an aggressive plant that spreads quickly and out-competes native species for water and nutrients. It releases toxins from its roots into the soil to hinder the growth and kill surrounding plants.”

Some residents of phragmites-affected areas enjoy the presence of the plant as it can provide an aesthetic appeal to the property, and line the property providing privacy. However, the aesthetic appeal of the invasive species is outweighed by their destructive impact to the local environment.

Ontario Wildlife and Nature describes how the phragmites “crowd out vegetation, decrease biodiversity, provide poor habitat and food supplies for wildlife, cause lower water levels in the marsh, and can affect recreational activities such as swimming, boating, and angling.” 

In Norfolk County, there are many initiatives that work to keep our marsh ecosystems thriving. One of these organizations is the Long Point Phragmites Action Alliance (LPPAA). The LPPAA is a local group of 29 partnering organizations who work to get rid of phragmites in the area. Prior to their mitigation initiatives, they estimated “that phragmites covered 40% of the wetlands, a number that was expanding at an exponential rate each year.”

Invasive phragmites have had a significant impact on the turtle populations of Long Point. Lauren Nightingale, the Director of Long Point Biosphere’s Turtle Recovery program, has experienced firsthand how phragmites harm turtle population growth and stability. She described how turtles depend on shallow pools in the marsh. “If the phragmites are growing in the marsh then they will dry the shallow pools out. Phragmites are particularly good at drying things out.”

Nightingale expressed concern about community members' attitudes towards the importance of phragmites mitigation in the marsh.

“It’s management from here on, phragmites are here in perpetuity. They will never fully go away. I guarantee as more time goes on and people forget how bad it was, they're going to think that the mitigation efforts, and spraying, are the worst possible thing. People may turn against it, because they will forget how the marsh used to look when it was full of phragmites.” 

Phragmites have the natural ability to become a monoculture in any ecosystem including in local marshes. This affects all forms of life that call the marsh home, which places added pressure on species at risk like the Blanding’s Turtle, and the Spiny Softshell Turtle. Nightingale described the impact phragmites have on turtles stating, “Phragmites grow so dense that turtles can’t even move between them, not to mention that nothing can grow in and around the phragmites. Also, phragmites wipe out everything, leaving no cover and shelter for juveniles that are hatching to get to.” 

The impact of the phragmites on the local turtle populations combines with the existing threat of cars and human development.

“Phragmites, in addition to causing the marsh to dry out, actually force turtles to move more often where they can get hit by cars on roads. Either they can get hit or they can just dry out. There's places where they find them cooked on the road.”

Turtle populations are especially fragile. Phragmites and subsequent population loss increases that fragility as Nightingale noted, “Turtles, and specifically snapping turtles take 15 to 20 years before they're old enough to reproduce. If you lose adults, it causes a ripple effect in the population that doesn't really recover, which is where things like a turtle incubation project comes in and helps boost that population, and hopefully, makes up for some of that loss, but you're not going to see any results for like 20 years.”

This is a big issue, not only for the community that cares deeply about their local turtle population, but also for the structure of the marsh ecosystem as a whole.

“Turtles are what we call keystone species for wetlands, they're kind of the most important species. They've been around for millions of years, so these environments were shaped by their presence. They're predators, and prey. They also act as big garburators. If something dies in the marsh, they're there, they will eat it, and they clean it up which reduces disease. They also spread seeds, they will have the important native species in their poop, and if they have access to a wetland, they can migrate carrying the seeds to another pond.”

As Nightingale prepares for another season of turtle recovery programming, she shared some insight into the importance of community, and kind actions, in conservation initiatives.

“It really is. It's like it's that individual mindset, we cannot do things by ourselves. Not in this kind of world. It has to be a community collective, getting together and making change.”  Working as a collective, making sure to remove phragmites if you find it on your property, and education on what is happening in local conservation are all things that community members can do to keep our marshes and turtles safe for generations to come.