TOPSAIL BEACH, N.C. (WECT) — If you’re planning a trip to Topsail Nature Preserve next week, you’ll need to adjust your schedule.

The preserve, including its parking lot and beach access, will temporarily close the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 7, while crews work to eliminate an aggressive invasive plant.

Officials with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management (DCM) expect the shutdown to last only a few hours. The preserve and beaches will reopen later that afternoon once work wraps up and areas are safe for the public.

Crews are targeting Phragmites australis, commonly known as the common reed. While it looks like ordinary tall marsh grass, state wildlife experts warn it is one of the coastal region’s most damaging invaders. The non-native plant spreads two ways: through airborne seeds and via tough underground roots called rhizomes. Left unchecked, it quickly forms dense, impenetrable thickets that choke out native sea oats and grasses, destroying vital nesting habitats for local coastal wildlife.

Because the infestation has already spread across a large portion of the preserve, DCM officials determined targeted herbicide spraying is the only practical way to knock it down.

A licensed contractor will apply EPA-approved herbicide strictly within the preserve’s interior. Visitors must stay completely clear of the property during the treatment for safety and to allow crews to work quickly.

The cleanup effort follows the preserve’s management transfer to the Division of Coastal Management earlier this year, marking a renewed push to protect the barrier island’s fragile native landscape.

State officials will announce the all-clear and official reopening on the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Facebook page and through a public update.