Lake‐level regulation that began in 1960 eliminated large fluctuations of Lake Ontario water levels, altering coastal wetland plant communities. More than a half century later, the altered hydroperiod supports dense, monotypic stands of invasive cattail (Typha angustifolia and Typha × glauca), which have diminished overall plant community diversity. As a result, Lake Ontario coastal wetlands are less capable of providing many of their traditional ecological functions. One such wetland is Buttonwood Fen, a floating, lake‐connected peatland on Lake Ontario's southern shore near Rochester, NY. We implemented cattail‐control measures from 2016 to 2018 with the goal of decreasing live and dead cattail biomass and increasing cover of native fen taxa. Site manipulation included removal of dead cattail biomass, cutting new cattail growth when rhizome carbohydrate reserves were at their lowest, and hand‐wicking regrowth with herbicide in early fall. Results showed a decrease in live cattail stem density and cover and dead biomass cover, as well as an increase in cover of fen taxa. Although not a replicated study, our results suggest that removing dead cattail biomass and targeted treatment of live cattail stems via cutting and hand‐wicking with glyphosate can reduce cattail and improve site quality.

Gas drilling into the Marcellus Shale play has been linked to environmental issues, including potential impacts on wildlife. In 2009, three separate accidents occurred at two gas well sites in central Pennsylvania, USA that resulted in high levels of contaminants in Wallace Mine Fen and a headwater stream that flows through the fen. We collected water chemistry, vegetation, and amphibian data at the impacted fen and at a control fen in 2012 and 2013 to determine similarity of sites and the impacts of the contaminants. We also reviewed water chemistry reports generated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for data collected shortly after the accidents occurred to provide insight on the nature of the accidents. Ordinations of vegetation data, as well as water chemistry, showed that the two wetlands are similar and dominated by the same plant species and water chemistry. Historically, both wetlands provided habitat for amphibians. However, unlike in pre-accident amphibian data, we detected virtually no amphibians in the impacted Wallace Mine Fen, suggesting that amphibians were possibly negatively affected by gas-drilling accidents.

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