Volunteers sought to help combat Cogongrass

An environmental health manager at Clemson University is calling on all volunteers to help eradicate an noxious weed. Steve Compton wants you to volunteer in the effort to rid the state of Cogongrass, an invasive plant, which is banned in the state of South Carolina. Compton works in the Department of Plant Industry as a part of Clemson University’s regulatory division, which oversees the effort to eliminate Cogongrass. To prepare new recruits for the battle against Cogongrass, Clemson and The Nature Conservancy will hold a workshop at 10am on Thursday, March 21, at the Harbison Environmental Education Center in Harbison State Forest near Columbia. The workshop will introduce the 2013 Cogongrass survey process and prepare Clemson Extension agents, master gardeners, environmental workers and volunteers to identify the weed. The two-hour training will include a presentation on other invasive species in longleaf pine forests and update participants about the South Carolina Exotic Pest Plant Council.