52 Nebraskaland • October 2023
During the summer of 2022, the refuge hosted a fi eld
day for wildlife biologists and land managers from across
the state. That group visited numerous examples of cattail
suppression attempts and discussed how to apply what
was being learned to future eff orts, both in the Sandhills
and beyond. While there was a lot of inconsistency in
the eff ectiveness of treatments, there was also cause for
optimism. As an example, the tour stopped at a site that
had been a monoculture of cattails for decades but was now
covered with a broad diversity of wetland plants, including
a few native cattails. It wasn't clear why that particular
treatment had worked there, but not elsewhere, but it was
inspiring to see the capacity of wetlands to recover if given
the chance.
It's diffi cult to prescribe specifi c approaches for cattail
control right now because we still have a lot to learn. What
does seem clear is that even the most successful control
results on large-scale cattail invasions will be temporary. It
will take consistent and repeated eff orts to prevent a cattail
monoculture from rising again. However, we're continually
Cattails have invaded many Sandhills wetlands, like this one at the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge.
