WHIP steering committee looks at funding concerns, projects

The Wisconsin Headwaters Invasives Partnership (WHIP) is one of several Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs) in Wisconsin. The organization is headquartered in Rhinelander in the Lumberjack RC&D office. Lumberjack RC&D is WHIP’s fiscal sponsor. Last week, the organization’s steering committee met to learn about projects that had been going on in WHIP’s three-county area, which includes Oneida, Vilas and Lincoln Counties.

WHIP coordinator Rosie Page said the CISMAs had a statewide meeting the day before the steering committee meeting. Coordinators across the state are unsure the status of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant program, with the federal government shut down and some restructuring. It was known that there would be no GLRI grants available for 2025, but all were uncertain whether or not the program would return. The current GLRI grant WHIP is working under is good through 2026, which was good news for the programs and projects in which they are involved.

“We were told to expect a next round of funding, so that’s positive, but the round for this past year was actually cancelled,” she told the committee. “So, it’s not that it was just delayed. They called it off due to uncertainty at the federal level.”

WHIP, and other CISMAs are grant funded organizations that work on terrestrial invasive species issues in the counties each CISMA covers. With that said, coordinators, Page said, are thinking about creative ways to help their organizations stay funded in the future. Some are looking at a fee-for-service arrangement, and others are looking elsewhere for funding. 

Page then reviewed the field season and what she had been working on over the summer. In Oneida County, WHIP had been working on several projects, she said. A big part of field work for this season, as has been the case for a few years now, is the purple loosestrife biocontrol project. WHIP works with Vilas County as well the FLOW AIS program and Forest County in this program. 

The biocontrol program handles 12-15 sites per year fighting purple loosestrife. Technicians rear biocontrol beetles that spend their entire life cycle on invasive purple loosestrife. These beetles have been proven to have no negative effects on any native plants, but in large numbers can do a great job at stressing purple loosestrife plants to the point that colonies do not grow and, in fact, can shrink those colonies significantly.

This year, the beetle rearing cages were housed at Nicolet College, making it much easier for staff to check the cages on a regular basis. Once beetles start to emerge, it is important to ensure they have enough food to remain healthy and viable so they can be transported out onto the landscape in stands of invasive purple loosestrife in wetland areas. Previously, the cages were housed in Crandon, which was workable, but Page said the new location allows technicians to check plants more often and in with far less travel time. Oneida County, too, has a beet rearing program, so releases from the Nicolet cages have been released in Vilas and other counties.

She also spoke about a Weed Management Area (WMA) grant on Squash Lake. There is a high quality wetland at the tip of Squash Lake. Glossy buckthorn, an invasive species that can live on land or near water, was found in a survey there. Page said the among of buckthorn was much less than she expected, which was a pleasant surprise. This lead to some outreach opportunities, educating landowners on the identification of the invasive species and possible control techniques.

Page said she was also involved with some outreach work in the Town of Newbold. She said she was still looking forward to engaging with the town regarding their pollinator garden and the protection of some native lupine there. 

A new project, just outside of Rhinelander, was recently partially funded by a Lumberjack RC&D grant. Page and other partners will be working with two Girl Scouts on invasive species at Townline Lake Park. As previously reported, the girls will be working on their Silver Award through the Girl Scouts. They will be not only working on removal of the invasive species found, but also planting native species and completing an invasive species management plan for the park property

In Lake Tomahawk, Page said she got a call that some golden rod was taking over the native pollinator garden. Across the road from there, she said, she found there was a patch of Japanese knotweed on town property that was adjacent to the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest. She said she would work with the town to get a plan together to deal with that invasive species issue.

She also spoke about the buckthorn removal project with students at Rhinelander High School. This was the third year WHIP had worked with students at the school forest removing buckthorn. This year, Page said, they were also able to install a boot brush at the trailhead as well as permanent signage.

Communications

Page said she had also been working on a grant that could include communications and outreach. She wanted to develop a communications plan or strategy, which was a discussion that started at the March annual meeting. The grant that would cover this work was approved in June, Page reported. 

“This is partial funding for our WMA grant and it’s meant to creating a comprehensive strategy with our partners, but also with the public, and with different media channels,” she said. This would streamline announcement and allow better circulation for events. This communications plan, she said, would fit perfectly into the organization’s overall strategic plan. Page said she would look to have three formal meetings with a small team to put this strategy together. This grant would run for two years.

For more information about WHIP, and how they can help private land owners fight invasive terrestrial species, see their website at whipinvasives.org.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].