National Invasive Species Awareness Week is this week, February 24th-28th. It is led by the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) which supports local, state, tribal, federal, regional, and national organizations. NAISMA hosts educational webinars on priority invasive species. Some speakers and topics for this year include: US Geological Survey, US Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and USDA APHIS. In Wisconsin, there are almost 150 species of invasive plants. In Forest County we are thankful to have the Wild Rivers Invasive Species Coalition. 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 Menominee Counties in Michigan. Since 2009, WRISC has completed invasive species education, and management and control in many areas across the 5-county region. The mission of WRISC is dedicated to the management of our lands and waters through cooperation, education, prevention and control. WRISC provides services to private landowners, organizations, and municipal partners. There is no cost to become a partner, it only takes agreement with a memorandum of understanding between your group and WRISC. Larger numbers of partners will improve the chances for WRISC to obtain grants. It is encouraged that every group with an interest to sign on to become a partner with WRISC. Let’s work together to fight invasive species on our lands and in our waters. A primary goal of WRISC in 2025 will be inventory and management of invasive species populations on road rights-of-way. There is a particular concern with wild parsnip which has greatly expanded its populations within rights-of-way and also provides health dangers to the public. You can find information about these events on their website www.wrisc.org. You may see WRISC’s Strike Team out and about in Forest County or neighboring counties this coming summer. During their busy field season, they will be busy locating and eradicating invasive species. The Forest County Conservation Technician, as well as myself, will also be out there with the strike team a few days during the summer to lend them a hand. If you need assistance for invasive species or think you know of areas with invasive species, give us a call and we can connect you with WRISC.
For more information contact Kayla Littleton, Forest County Land Conservation and Land Information Director at 715-478-1387 or by e-mail at .