Project Update — Eradicating Invasive Phragmites from Calumet County & Northeast Wisconsin

Calumet County is partnering with Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, Glacierland Resource Conservation and Development Council and Stantec Consulting Services Inc. to map and treat invasive Phragmites across the county. Grant funding was obtained from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to conduct roadside mapping of invasive Phragmites in January 2020. Additional grant funding was secured to initiate treatment in phases, starting in 2021. We now have grant funding to control Phragmites across all of Calumet County, starting this year!

Treatment of a small phragmites stand in Calumet Co. Photo Credit: Stantec

Invasive Phragmites is a tall, colony-forming grass, introduced from Europe, that is invading both urban and rural areas. It can form dense, impenetrable stands that choke our wetlands, streams, beaches, and shores. The need for control is urgent to stop the aggressive expansion. By mapping, treating, monitoring, and providing long-term control of these invasive populations, this project will have significant long-term benefits for migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, marsh spawning fish, pollinators, and other native fauna.

Over half of landowner parcels in Calumet County with Phragmities present were enrolled in this program, with overwhelming public support. We have already controlled over 292 acres of Phragmites in Calumet County since this project began, with over 166 acres in 2023 alone. However, additional permissions are needed, especially since we can now treat across the entire county. Click here to learn more about this program, view invasive mapping data, obtain a permission form, or donate to the program.

Your participation in this program is critical to our success. Treatments will be performed by trained and certified professional restoration contractors or student interns using herbicide from July to October each year. Our mapping is continually updated with new information and each landowner with Phragmites will receive communication each year regarding the status of treatment on their property. Grant funds will allow at least two years of control on participating parcels, at no expense to the landowner.

If you have any questions or have populations on your land, please contact Melissa Curran with Stantec at (920) 841-1072 or melissa.curran@stantec.com; or Danielle Santry from Calumet County at (920) 849-1442 or danielle.santry@calumetcounty.org.