Earlier this summer, botanists discovered a population of the wetland invasive plant European frog-bit (Hydrocharis morsus‐ranae) in Oconto County. This is the first time this species, which is widespread along the coastal areas of lakes Erie and Huron up to the...
Conservation Corner
Conservation Corner is a weekly article produced by the Forest County Land & Water Conservation Department.
For more information contact Kayla Littleton, County Conservationist-Land Information/GIS Director at 715-478-1387 or by e-mail at
PFAS Coordinating Council
In 2019, Governor Tony Evers declared it the Year of Clean Drinking Water. As part of the state-wide initiative to ensure Wisconsinites have access to clean, safe drinking water, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #40 in August 2019 to address the issue of...
Purple Loosestrife control
This week we finished mapping the county roads for Wild Parsnip and Purple Loosestrife locations. We noted that the Wild Parsnip has bolted (flowered and gone to seed) and is pretty much done causing problems for the year. Next spring, we will begin...
Wisconsin Caterpillars
Every summer at my household, my wife collects milkweed and monarch butterfly eggs. She’ll put the milkweed and eggs in a large terrarium and then has her daycare monitor their growth and transformation from caterpillars to butterflies. She usually is able...
Blue-green algae
Blue-green algae, also known as Cyanobacteria, are a group of photosynthetic bacteria that many people refer to as "pond scum." Blue-green algae are most often blue-green in color, but can also be blue, green, reddish-purple, or brown. Blue-green algae generally grow...
Walleye Management
As a musky fisherman, I consistently hear walleye fishermen stating that they’d catch more walleyes if it weren’t for the muskies eating them all. They’ll say, “if we’re not catching walleye, then something else must be.” But, people’s beliefs about who’s eating who...
Oak Wilt Disease
Tips for helping to prevent oak wilt disease It’s best to avoid cutting, pruning or damaging oak trees this time of year to prevent the spread of oak wilt disease. Oaks are most vulnerable to the disease during the growing season, especially from April 1 to July 15....
Thorn Hired as FLOW AIS Coordinator
Lumberjack Resource Conservation & Development Council announced the hiring of Derek Thorn as the FLOW(Forest, Langlade, Oconto Waterways) AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) Coordinator. Derek was born and raised in the Rhinelander area and attended Three Lakes High...
Mosquito Sprays
What’s in Mosquito Sprays? Most residential mosquito control companies use insecticides known as pyrethrins, which are chemicals derived from chrysanthemum flowers that are toxic to insects; or more frequently, pyrethroids, which are synthetic chemicals that mimic...
Shoreland Restoration
As the weather warms and people are returning to the Northwoods, we’ve been busy scheduling our Shoreland Restoration projects. I’ve been reviewing/designing a few plans and a lot of them have fire pits incorporated in them. Several of the plans had firepits on the...
Wild Rivers Invasive Species Coalition (WRISC)
Forest County is a partner and supporter of the Wild Rivers Invasive Species Coalition (WRISC). WRISC is a coalition which seeks and obtains grant funding from many sources to provide services to Forest, Florence, and Marinette Counties in Wisconsin and Dickinson and...
Shoreline Erosion
Lake Property Owners, have you noticed erosion along your shoreline? This is a challenge that many shoreland property owners face, we would like to share some tips on how to keep your shoreland property in place! The best way to identify and assess erosion problems is...