Dr. Janice Gilbert is the driving force behind Phragmites management in Ontario. Her commitment to habitat restoration and Phragmites control continues to have an impact across the province and well beyond our borders. With over 20 years experience in researching, monitoring, and managing Phragmites and driven by her passion to protect and restore natural wetland habitats (SAR), she continues to be more than willing to share her knowledge. She has taken the lead, bringing to light the damage caused by Phragmites to all tiers of government, Conservation Authorities and the general public.
Internationally, she is a scientific advisor to the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative which developed the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework. PAMF is a strategy for managing non-native Phragmites in the Great Lakes basin that provides the opportunity for land managers to benefit from adaptive management. She is a member of the International Association of Great Lakes Research, Society of Wetland Scientists, Ecological Society of America, the Society for Ecological Restoration. In Ontario she is the founder and currently co-chair of the Ontario Phragmites Working Group, now operating under the umbrella of the Ontario Invasive Plant Council. More recently Jan established a non-profit entity the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre. Its motto: “Most good with the least harm.”
She is a valued member of our team and as a partner continues to be especially helpful to the Lambton Shores Phragmites Community Group. With her guidance, the LSPCG has been successful in restoration work on over 120 ha along the shoreline. Janice has created the Management Plan for Lambton Shores and assisted the LSPCG in creating the watershed model that is recommended to Phrag Phighters across the province. Over the years she has received many accolades both nationally and internationally. In 2022, she was recognized by the Invasive Species Centre Canada as the recipient of the Innovation Award.
She is always willing to ‘go the extra mile’ – kilometers – to help the cause!
- Developed and Managed Control Programs for Rondeau Provincial Park, Turkey Point Provincial Park, Kettle and Stony Point First nation, Canadian Wildlife Services, Municipality of Kincardine, Municipality of Lambton Shores, Bruce Power, City of St. Thomas.
- Providing Phragmites Control Advice to: Ontario Parks (Wasaga Beach, Point Farms, Long Point), Windsor Essex Park Parkway Infrastructure Construction Project, Municipalities (Saugeen Shores, Manitoulin Island), Sauble Beach, Oliphant, Saugeen First Nation, Grand Bend, Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association, Georgian Bay Forever, Conservation Authorities (Ausable Bayfield, Maitland Valley, Essex Region, Saugeen Valley, Port Credit, Long Point Region), Manitoba Invasive Plant Council, Nature Conservancy of Canada, City of London, City of Toronto Public Works.
