Thursday, July 17, 2003

Sedge on the edge

As reported by the Tri-Town News in New Jersey, Walmart recently gave a grant to Georgian Court College for an invasive species study helmed by Dr. Louise Wootton. The amount of the grant, which will provide part of an undergrad's stipend: $500 (Come on Walmart, cough up some dough!). The real story here is that Dr. Wootton will be studying the relatively unknown Asiatic sand sedge (Carex kobomugi), a coastal invader that threatens fragile dune habitats. The study seeks to map populations of the sedge using GIS and to use that information to predict how fast and where it will spread. (Bonus points to the Tri-Town News for printing the scientific name.)

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