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By Dea Larsen Converse

A recently released report on climate impacts to water resources in Wisconsin from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) shows that warming temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are impacting Wisconsin’s wealth of water resources. The last two decades have been the warmest on record in Wisconsin and the past decade has been the wettest.

“The warming climate is having an impact on water resources in Wisconsin. We need to increase the magnitude and urgency of actions to protect and restore habitat and enhance water quality to make Wisconsin’s waters more resilient to climate change.” – Katie Hein, WICCI Water Resources Working Group Co-Chair

Yet, there is hope. The WICCI report suggests solutions to prepare for and minimize climate impacts to water resources, like increasing water storage across the landscape, installing green infrastructure, protecting wetlands, building outside of flood zones, and installing flood warning systems. Visit the Water Resources Working Group webpage to learn more. There is hope for the future, but it is up to us.

Read more here.

WICCI is a nationally recognized collaboration of scientists and stakeholders working together to help foster solutions to climate change in Wisconsin.

more resilient to extreme precipitation.

Photo credit: Katie Hein

Photo credit: Gina LaLiberte

Save The Date!

November 5th, 2022

1:00pm – 3:00pm

Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc

At this event, we will discuss how climate adaptation was used in the restoration work of Lower Schuette Park, operationalizing climate change with community forestry, collective messaging on the climate crisis and wrap up with time for questions and networking.

Register by Saturday October 15th

Winter Management of Invasive Plants –

Preparing for Next Year

Source: SEWISC Newsletter, Winter 2012, Volume 2 

Fall and winter are an excellent time to treat woody invasives, but it is also the time to prepare sites for control during the upcoming growing season.

For some herbaceous invasive species, the winter months are opportunities to remove dead foliage that accumulated from the past year. This can be done via prescribed burns or by cutting species such as non-native cattails (Typha angustifolia and T. glauca), common reed grass (Phragmites australis), and Japanese plume grass (Miscanthus sinensis). This form of control ultimately increases the effectiveness of next season’s foliar applications by reducing the amount of dead standing vegetation that can waste herbicide through absorption during application. There are two very important points to remember.

First, if you are considering using prescribed fire to remove dead vegetation check all local and state ordinances and hire a professional if you have not been trained to use this management technique. Second, if you use mowing equipment to cut the dead vegetation, always be sure to clean your mower before transferring it to another site to prevent spreading invasive species even further.

When practical, fall and winter are also good opportunities to identify populations of prolific invasive species for foliar treatments and hand-pulling management in the coming spring. Invasive species such as garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis) overwinter above ground as green plants, but they can also be identified by the previous year’s dead seed heads. Dame’s rocket, which is not as well-known as garlic mustard, is a perennial and a member of the mustard family. If snow cover is lacking, it can be identified during fall/winter by its lance-shaped leaves that form a basal rosette.

Maintaining the diversity of our native ecosystems requires year-round management of invasive species. Fall and winter seasons offer several opportunities to effectively locate and select invasive species for management in the coming growing season. Effective inventories and pre-treatment planning over the next few months will save you time and money, as you gear-up for next year’s invasive species management campaign.

Community Investments in 2022

Phase Three project sites include the Cities of Algoma and Kewaunee, two City Parks in Manitowoc – Silver Creek Park and Lower Schuette Park, the Village of St. Nazianz, the Town of Two Creeks; and two Manitowoc County Parks – Maribel Caves and Lower Cato Falls.

LNRP’s overall effort includes the innovative partnership with the Sheboygan Rotary Club and the collaboratively created ROOTS program, or Restoration of our Trees Sheboygan. The multi-faceted approach of the ROOTS initiative provides support to communities in the Sheboygan area whether they need assistance with planning or implementation, while also engaging residents through outreach and education. The unique public-private collaborative model of ROOTS leverages multiple funding sources, boosting local resources and stretching the value of each dollar provided by generous local donors, while also bringing in state and federal dollars for a greater collective impact and investment in our communities. Each of these complementary projects contributes to the shared goals of helping our communities recover from the devastating impact of the EAB and restoring the valuable tree canopy.

Along with municipal match, LNRP and ROOTS invested nearly $75,000 in 2022 to mitigate the impacts of EAB.

The City of Plymouth invested $17,000 for planting trees in public parks and recreational areas; Town of Wilson invested $24,351 for site preparations and tree planting in town parks; Town of Sheboygan invested $5,631 in Mahler Park; Village of Cleveland invested $15,000 in an ash tree assessment and tree planting at Dairyland Park; Village of Cascade invested $5,000 for tree planting in public spaces; and pending outcomes of a planning process, the Village of Elkhart Lake in collaboration with the Town of Rhine will invest $8,000 in a tree nursery. Since 2020, ROOTS has been able to bundle over $500,000 in direct support in the effort to mitigate the impacts of the EAB.

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Our primary target invasive species is non-native Phragmites, which is found in wetlands, riparian areas, shorelines and other wet areas such as roadside ditches. Invasive Phragmites takes over large areas, pushes out native vegetation, and reduces habitat quality for wildlife. Long-term control over the course of many years is essential to protect habitat quality, water quality, access to shorelines and property values.

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We have made significant progress mitigating the spread of Phragmites. Without multiple years of consecutive control, Phragmites will re-establish and the momentum gained will be lost. Our grant funding ended after the 2021 growing season in Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties, and we need additional funding to support on-going efforts in Ozaukee, Calumet and Fond du Lac counties. Therefore, we are seeking your financial support to establish a long-term control fund to continue our efforts where needed across all counties. This Phragmites fund will directly support on-the-ground control efforts and the professional development of student interns who are completing the bulk of the re-treatment efforts.

We have already received participation from many landowners, towns and cities who are committed to the long term management of Phragmites in their areas. Be a part of this collective effort to keep your local waterways resilient so we can continue to enjoy them for generations to come.

click here to donate to use a credit card

or send a check made payable to Glacierland RC&D to

Glacierland RC&D

P.O. Box 11203

Green Bay, WI 54307

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For more information or questions, contact Glacierland at 920-465-3006