Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference 2016

AUTHORS: Darcy Rutkowski, UP RC&D Council; Jason Schnorr, UP RC&D Council; Teri Grout, Alger Conservation District

ABSTRACT: UP Phragmites Project partners are implementing a strategic plan for the entire UP to identify and quantify Phragmites infestations on the Lake Michigan shoreline, interior wetlands and ROWs of all 15 counties, to educate landowners about the non-native Phragmites problem, to conduct treatment on known priority infestations, and to develop strategies for sustainable control and habitat restoration of previously infested sites. Comprehensive mapping of the entire UP Lake Michigan shoreline and ground-truthing of reported inland infestations have identified approximately 1,950 acres of non-native Phragmites infestations in the UP, with more than 1,800 of these acres located in just the two counties closest to the Wisconsin border (Delta and Menominee). During 2013, successful herbicide control was performed on 487 acres and efficacy of these treatments was found to be 90% or better in all post-treatment monitoring plots. Re-treatment occurred on those same acres in 2014, and more than 100 additional acres were treated for the first time for a total 550 acres of treatment. These treatments were conducted in prioritized treatment zones which covered 55 miles of contiguous Lake Michigan shoreline, and all outlying infestations where landowner permission could be obtained. In 2015, additional grant funds became available and sections of the lakeshore which were previously untreated were re-mapped. We anticipate more than 700 acres of previously untreated infestations will be treated by UP Phragmites Coalition partners in 2015. Over 3,000 landowners have been contacted and educated about the Phragmites threat, and more than 1,000 will have been directly engaged in our treatment program by the end of this season. Phragmites Coalition partners are working now to establish a framework for long-term monitoring and control, and for identifying, coordinating, and training new local stewardship groups to assume responsibility for control efforts and monitoring after this project is completed.