Cogongrass, one of the worst invasive plants in the world, was first found in South Carolina in 2004. We know of small amounts of the grass in seven counties in South Carolina. These areas are being treated to control the grass and eliminate its spread to other areas. We need people on the ground helping to locate any spots of cogongrass that might exist. We cannot afford to let this plant become established in our state. We have a chance to control the grass if we find the spots while they are small. This year, there will be a coordinated effort to survey for cogongrass. Efforts will concentrate on twenty-six counties nearest the Georgia border. We need hundreds of volunteers to help with this effort. If you’d like to become a member of the survey team, please sign up here.

REGION 1 - Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, Jasper

REGION 2 - Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Orangeburg, Richland

REGION 3 - Aiken, Edgefield, Greenwood, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Saluda

REGION 4 - Abbeville, Anderson, Greenville, Laurens, Pickens, Oconee

Different Categories you can choose from to be part of Cogongrass Survey 2008 are mentioned below. Please volunteer to select the category of your interest and be a part of our team by

SITE COORDINATORS

We require 4 Site Coordinators that can help us with the following responsibilties.

• Arrange for facilities.
• Coordinate resources.
• Work with assignment coordinators to select survey areas.
• Handle communications.
• Coordinate identifiers.
• Provide general area report.

ASSIGNMENT COORDINATORS

We require 52 Assignment Cordinators (2 per county) that can help us with the following responsibilties

• Identify survey areas.
• Provide a map of each survey area.
• Assign surveyors.
• Compile survey reports.

SURVEYORS

We require at least 400-500 Surveyors to help us with the following responsibilties:

• Take an assigned area and follow survey procedures.
• Report suspected materials to the site coordinator.
• Flag location with colored flagging.
• Plant material will not be sampled..

                                                 
AREA IDENTIFIERS

We require at least 40 Area Identifiers to help us with the following responsibilties:

• Confirm identification of cogongrass.
• Establish exact location of material.
• Remove markers from location if not cogongrass.

Have any Questions?? Please contact

George D. Kessler,
Emeritus Professor of Forest Resources Clemson University
Cogongrass Task Force Coordinator.
Office: (864) 656-4836
Cell: (864) 608-4040

Jeanne Campbell
Office: (864) 656-2479

Steve Compton
Office: (864) 646-2134
Cell: (864) 506-5387

For more information on the Cogongrass Survey 2008 please review this presentation. We need your help and sincerely appreciate your participation in this Survey.