Clark Lake Phragmites Workday:
For the 4th year now, the Clark Lake Association will be treating phragmites on the shoreline. We are still in need of help on Saturday September 10! Lunch will be provided. Meet at Schauer Park at 8 am. Contact Marne Kaeske for more information and sign-up by Thursday  September 8: 920.839.2802

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Phragmites at North Bay:
TNC is looking for help in treating phragmites on North Bay on September 6, 7, 9, 14 and 15. Meet at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall and then head to corner of Hwy Q and North Bay Drive. Contact Sam Lindquist for the time to meet: slindquist@tnc.org.

Buckthorn on Whitefish Dunes Creek:
Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI) international students will be working at Whitefish Dunes State Park to curb the buckthorn that is expanding around Whitefish Creek. Come and join us Wednesday, September 14 from 5 – 7 pm. Meet at the gated parking lot on Cty WD. Snacks to follow! Contact Marne for more info: marne@ridgessanctuary.org

Barberry Pirates:
The Ridges Sanctuary’s weed crew meets every Tuesday morning at 9 am. In the next coming weeks we will be hiking out to Pickerel Pond to treat phragmites. Please, let us know if you would like to be added to our e-mail list to be informed about our weekly plans for where and when to meet and what to be prepared for. Pirate appropriate snacks! Contact Marne: marne@ridgessanctuary.org

Bjorklunden Phragmites:
If you have a few hours and are interested in helping us bundle phragmites at Bjorklunden, give us a jingle: Call Marne at 920.839.2802

Wikipedia explains it clearly: “The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on or near the Earth when and where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible by anyone with a GPS receiver.”

On Tuesday Aug 24, beginning at 9 am you can learn how to map invasive populations using a GPS device and share that information with others over the Internet. Marne Kaeske, Ridges’ Stewardship Coordinator, will spend the morning teaching and taking participants out to do field work at The Ridges, so bring boots and a GPS device if you have them. She will also have some boots and a few GPS units to share.

The Ridges Sanctuary is now heading up the Door County Invasive Species Team and has a created a model program that meets each Tuesday to fight invasives. They are fighting off the invasion as a team, known to many as the Barberry Pirates.

They say, “The Sanctuary is UNDER ATTACK! In the swales and on the ridges, new infestations of invasives are popping up. The Barberry Pirates remain vigilant in our efforts to stop the invasion. But we need MORE Pirates to be pro-active with the new threats to the Sanctuary!”

“Please let us know if you can make it so we can plan our attack!” Marne adds, “Lemonade and snacks after the fray! …to fight of the scurvy.”

There is no charge to participate and you are asked to meet at the Upper Rangelight at The Ridges in Baileys Harbor. Please, call 920.839.2802 to RSVP.

The Ridges Sanctuary is a 1,600 acre pristine natural area located in Door County, Wisconsin. Formed in 1937, it’s the oldest private nature preserve in the state. The Ridges is designated as a State Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark, an Audubon Important Birding Area, and a Wisconsin Wetland Gem.

Small alien trees called  Buckthorns were brought from Europe to Wisconsin in the 1880s… a time when Door County was being settled by European immigrants. It seems to me that European settlers should be considered invasive aliens since they outcompeted the native people and altered the environment extensively.

Buckthorns were imported for use as ornamental shrubs, ideal for creating dense hedges. For this purpose, they indeed are ideal. Buckthorns grow rapidly, creating natural fencing and hedgerows which are impentrable. The trees have shiny green leaves and pretty fruit which attracts birds in late summer and fall.

Over the years, birds have eaten the fruit (whole) and consequently, have spread the plants throughout much of the Midwest. And for many years, most people failed to notice. Only when these fast growing trees started dominating native forests did we become alarmed.

Many  property owners  in Door County have become aware of invasive plant species, and most agree that benign neglect or “letting nature take its course” is no longer a viable land management option. Unfortunately, the invasive species problem is just too big for most individuals to handle alone.

On Thursday, July 15, at 1:15 , the Door County Invasive Species Team (DCIST) and The Ridges Sanctuary will hold a “Contractor Meet and Greet” in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning Center at Crossroads. This meeting will give landowners the opportunity to learn about local businesses able to provide noxious weed control.

Marne Kaeske, Stewardship Coordinator at The Ridges suggests, “Put faces to the names of certified contractors available for aquatic and terrestrial invasive species removal.”

The meeting also will  include a brief undate on ongoing projects, including a presentation on permitting regulations and procedures. Snacks will be provided. For more information, contact Marne at 920.839.2801 or marne@ridgessanctuary.org

Every Sunday afternoon, Door County Historical Society hosts a special event  at the Historical Village at The Crossroads.  This Sunday, from 1:30 – 3:30 pm the guest performers will be Global Accord, an orchestra made up of local musicians who play folk music from around the world on traditional instruments. Visitors will enjoy the lively and varied music as they tour the buildings. The concert and tours are free.

During summer, Family Programs are offered at 11 am, Monday – Thursday by our summer educator, Joan Wilkie. Activities are appropriate for all ages (you don’t have to bring a family)  and are free.

Visitors  always are welcome to visit Crossroads. The trails are always open and during the summer months, the Collins Learning Center and Wildlife Exhibits are open 1:30-3:30. The Collins Learning Center and The Historical Village at The Crossroads are located at 2041 Michigan (County TT) in Sturgeon Bay.

Wednday, July 14, 11 am
Family Program: “Country Store and Garden”

Visit the Green General Store to learn of the storekeeper and his wife. What’s for sale in 1900? And what’s growing in the garden? Free. Meet  at the Greene General Store in The Historical Village.

Thursday July  15, 1:15 pm
DCIST   Contractor Meet and Greet

The Door County Invasive Species Team and The Ridges Sanctuary will host a gathering which will give landowners the opportunity to learn about what local businesses can provide for noxious weed control. Free. Meet in the lecture hall of the Collins Learning  Center.

Sunday, July 18, 1:30-3:30 pm
Concert by Global Accord  and Tours of The Historical Village

Global Accord, a local orchestra  specializing in folk music from around the world , will celebrate the cultural heritage of Door County. Costumed members of the Door County Historical Society will be on hand to show you the buildings. Free.

Monday, July 19, 11 am
“A School Day in 1900”

Enjoy lessons in a country  crossroads school where reading, writing and arithmetic, history, science and music were taught in one room. About an hour.  Meet at the Vignes School in The Historical   Village at The Crossroads. Free

Tuesday, July 20, 11 am
“Family Program:  “Great Lakes Fish”

Think you know all the fish that live in Lake Michigan, right at our shores?   Discover them and learn much more. About an hour. Meet at the Collins Learning Center. Free.

Wednesday, July 21, 11 am
Family Program: “The 1900 Chapel”

Visit the Chapel  and hear hymns on    the pump organ and stories of the  pioneer churches of Door County. Meet in The Chapel in The Historical Village. Free.

For the past few weeks several individuals have been helping spray for garlic mustard at Newport State Park. And, the spraying is paying off. But, there are still garlic mustard plants in the park that need to be pulled before they go to seed.

Newport Wilderness Society is supporting this phase of garlic mustard eradication by sponsoring work sessions to pull garlic mustard in the morning from 9 am to 12 noon and afternoons from 1 to 4 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for next few weeks. Three individuals are needed for each session. With the help of local restaurants, the Society will provide lunches for the morning and afternoon crews.

If you are able to help Newport Wilderness Society and park personnel with this project, please call the park 920.854.2500 and let park personnel know when you will be able to pull garlic mustard. Gloves are needed. Bags will be provided.  Thanks for all the help you may offer.

May 11 • Tuesday at The Ridges Sanctuary 9:30 AM – Noon. Meet at the Upper Rangelight. We will pull invasive forget-me-nots. Burgers hot off the grill afterward.

May 11, 19, 25 • Tuesdays in May  at Peninsula State Park from 1 PM – 2 PM. Call Invasive species Coordinator Paula Olig at 920.854.5976 for more information.

May 14  • Friday at Whitefish Dunes State Park 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM Meet at the Nature Center. Water, gloves and snack provided. (Volunteers receive a complimentary daily vehicle sticker)

May 21 • Friday at Whitefish Dunes State Park •  1:30 PM Meet at the Nature Center. Water, gloves and snack provided. (Volunteers receive a complimentary daily vehicle sticker)

May 22 • Saturday at Potawatomi State Park •  9 AM and 2 PM  Meet at the Picnic shelter at Parking lot 2.  Suitable tasks for everyone. Rain or shine. For information: Peter Sigmann (920) 824-5193. (Volunteers receive a complimentary daily vehicle sticker). The friends of Potawatomi State Park are attempting to remove invasive Eurasian Honeysuckle along the shoreline to allow recovery of native vegetation and restore the view of the bay.

May 25 • Tuesday at Sawyer Elementary School. From 8 AM – 10 AM. Help the second graders pull garlic mustard at Woodside Park in Sturgeon Bay.

May 25 • Tuesday at Baileys Harbor Town Hall. Presentation and field trip • 2-3 PM A Success Story: Phragmites in Moonlight Bay. Field trip to Moonlight Bay will follow presentation. Carpool to field site. Waterproof boots recommended.

May 28 • Friday at Whitefish Dunes State Park 9:30 AM and 1:30 PM Meet at the Nature Center. Water, gloves and snack provided. (Volunteers receive a complimentary daily vehicle sticker)

June 1, 15, 22, 29 • Tuesdays in June at Peninsula State Park from 1 PM – 2 PM. Call Invasive species Coordinator Paula Olig at (920) 854-5976 for more information.

June 4, 5, & 6 • Friday, Saturday, & Sunday at The Rushes on Logerquist road in Jacksonport. Tackling barberry. Call Marne Kaeske for more information marne@ridgessanctuary.org or 920.839.2802.

Reminders & Notes

Log your Hours! Whether at home or out with a crew, your volunteer time controlling invasives is valuable. Please try to send these signed hard copies in to The Ridges each month. (The state requires hard copies – but we are working on an electronic version – maybe next year) The Ridges Sanctuary • PO Box 152 • Baileys Harbor WI 54202.

Landowner Visits! Staff and volunteers are available for landowner visits to provide a brief survey of vegetation and suggestions of options for noxious weed control.  Call to schedule a visit: marne@ridgessanctuary.org or 920.839.2802.

Project RED! Coming June 14. Learn to identify 15 aquatic invasive species while doing what you love – paddling! Grab your friends and paddles. Laura MacFarland of the River Alliance of Wisconsin will present on opportunistic monitoring for exotic species of concern while enjoying your local waters. Cal: 920.839.2802 or email: marne@ridgessanctuary.org.

Let’s do this together! Please let us know about interest in invasive education development, growing threats and work parties in you neighborhood!

If you wish to receive emails from The Ridges and DCIST regarding upcoming opportunities, please call The Ridges at 920.839.2802 or email carol@RidgesSanctuary.org and they will add you to the list.

Bob Bultman

Dear DCIST Members and Friends,

As our primary funding grant for current DCIST programming wraps up and my contract to lead the Team ends, I wanted to sign off with a few words of encouragement and thanks. 2009 has been another dynamic year for the Door County Invasive Species Team. From shore to shore, tip to toe, lots of invasive species control work was accomplished this year in Door County.

There are far too many ongoing projects to list here, but I’d like to highlight one of three Boy Scout projects that were a big help in invasives control in the County this year: as part of his Eagle Scout Project, Boy Scout Ben Mitchell from Green Bay helped lead dozens of scouts and residents and members of the Clark Lake Advancement Association in phragmites control on the lake. Great work Ben and crew!

As you are well aware, there is plenty more effort that is needed to stem the rising tide of invasive plants and animals that threaten to disrupt the integrity of our County’s phenomenal native land and waterscapes. The invasive plants and animals already here do not take time off and with such ominous problems as wild parsnip, emerald ash borer, beech bark disease and asian carp on our doorstep, our native ecosystems are as challenged as ever. There is plenty to learn about, map, monitor for and control in the coming years.

Thank you for all your support and efforts. Logged volunteer hours spent countering invasives in Door County have once again provided crucial match for state invasive species funding. Over 1500 hours of time was logged this year controlling aquatic, wetland and shoreline invasives, and that translates to over $18,000 in match for the state funding in 2009 alone! This high level of community support has allowed the County Conservation Department to pursue and receive another grant for 2 years of coordinator funding, good through December 2011.

In the meantime, the Conservation Department and DCIST Steering Partners are in the process of evaluating the DCIST Program and will be issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Outreach staffing in the coming weeks. Until then, the Program will be on hiatus and no public DCIST meetings are scheduled at this time. I hope to return as the Outreach Educator, Weed Captain and spokesperson for DCIST.

Thank you for your patience and stay tuned! You, the engaged citizenry, are the heart – and muscle! – of DCIST. Your ongoing support is crucial for sustaining this effort. And, it does not go unnoticed. It has been and will continue to be an honor and a pleasure to work among the finest people of northeast Wisconsin.

All the Best in 2010. See you in the underbrush! Warm regards, Bob Bultman DCIST Outreach Coordinator p.s. If you need to reach me, call 920.421.2283 or email me at restoredoor@gmail.com.

RestoreDoor Ecologic Consulting & Restoration
PO Box 151
Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin 54202

The first finding of beech bark disease in Wisconsin has been confirmed in Door County according to plant disease specialists from the Departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Agency specialists were alerted to possible presence of the disease by an observant private citizen.

Beech scales on bark - WDNR Photo by Bill McNee

Beech bark disease and the insect associated with the disease are both considered invasive species native to Europe. The nearest known location for the disease before the Door County confirmation was near Norway Michigan.
Citizens asked to not move beech logs or firewood

Forestry officials do not know at this time how the disease or the insect arrived in Door County but both can travel long distances on infested beech logs and firewood. The disease causing element can be one of several species of fungi of the genus Nectria. The insect belongs to a class of forest insects identified as “scale”, named after a waxy protective substance the bug secretes that resembles scales of a fish. Scale insects are generally parasites of plants, feeding on sap. It is the scales’ feeding on the bark that makes the tree susceptible to infection by the fungus.

During October and November DNR investigators will survey the infested area and other areas where beech is present to determine the extent of the infestation. Following completion of the survey work officials will hold a public meeting with landowners to present survey findings and discuss management options.

Although not a major component of Wisconsin forests the beech tree is an important source of food for wildlife within its range. Eastern Wisconsin is at the western edge of the naturally occurring range of the American beech tree. The most recent forest inventory estimated the Wisconsin beech tree population at about 16.6 million trees. Door County has about 1.8 million beech.

The disease is fatal to about 95 percent of the trees infested. Somewhere between one and five percent show natural resistance to the disease according to DNR forest pest experts. This slight percentage of natural resistance offers a chance for arborists to culture disease resistant strains of beech to replace trees lost to the disease. This process will likely take years say officials.

A survey specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) discovered the beetle during a routine trap check in the area. The specimen was confirmed by federal identifiers at a lab in Michigan on Friday. Brown County marks the fifth Wisconsin county to have confirmed the presence of EAB since the state’s first detection last summer in Newburg, on the Ozaukee-Washington county line. The tree-killing beetle has also been confirmed in Vernon and Crawford counties.

“Part of the state’s initial response will be working together with local officials and experts to determine the extent of the infestation and to develop a response to this infestation,” said Jennifer Statz, EAB program manager with DATCP. “This won’t be a quick process given the sizeable ash population in the area.”

Presenting another difficulty is the fact that EAB was confirmed in the area based on the capture of an adult beetle, not by the presence of the insect larva in a tree.

“We have to try to determine if there are infested trees nearby, or from some far away source,” Statz said. “This beetle may have emerged from a tree across the street, across the river, or across the county. At this point, we just don’t know.”

Federal regulators are considering a quarantine of Brown County and possibly other counties in the area in an effort to help slow the spread of EAB throughout northeastern Wisconsin. Materials to be quarantined include ash nursery stock, ash timber, tree trimmings and all hardwood firewood.

“Anything that could transport a life stage of the beetle is going to be under quarantine,” said Bob Dahl, DATCP’s chief regulator. “Some businesses will be able to qualify for compliance agreements that will allow them to continue operating.

“Even before the quarantine goes into effect, it’s important for people in the Green Bay and Brown County area to stop moving ash products, especially hardwood firewood,” Dahl added. “Firewood is our main concern when it comes to EAB.”

The emerald ash borer was discovered near Detroit in 2002, likely arriving in North America accidently transported in wooden shipping crates from China. They’ve destroyed millions of trees already and have been found in 11 other states and in two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec.

It’s the beetle’s larva that actually kills the host ash tree by tunneling through the soft wood that supplies the tree with food and water. Large, healthy trees can succumb to EAB usually within three to five years. But the signs of an infestation in a tree can be very subtle at first, and it’s usually too late to save the tree once its determined that EAB is the cause of the problem.

Area residents concerned about the health of their ash trees should consult with professionals. There are a variety of treatments available for homeowners, though none are guaranteed to prevent or reverse an infestation.

A partnership of state and federal agencies including DATCP, USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continues to survey infested areas in Wisconsin and other parts of the state for the destructive forest pest. The University of Wisconsin- Madison, the UW Extension and the USDA Forest Service are also partners in evaluating management options and in outreach to residents and local units of government.

For additional information about emerald ash borer, please visit the Wisconsin EAB Website at www.emeraldashborer.wi.gov.

VHS

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) is a deadly fish virus and an invasive species that is threatening Wisconsin’s fish. VHS was diagnosed for the first time ever in the Great Lakes as the cause of large fish kills in lakes Huron, St. Clair, Erie, Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River in 2005 and 2006. Thousands of muskies, walleye, lake whitefish, freshwater drum, yellow perch, gizzard shad, redhorse and round gobies died. Many Chinook salmon, white bass, emerald shiners, smallmouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, burbot, and northern pike were diseased but did not die in large numbers.

The hundreds of thousands of anglers expected to fish the May 2 opening day of the inland fishing season can help protect their fishing future by taking steps to avoid accidentally spreading VHS fish disease and aquatic invasive species.

“It’s important to take steps to prevent VHS from spreading every time you’re on the water, but particularly now when the disease is most active with the cold water temperatures,” says Karl Scheidegger, the Department of Natural Resources fish biologist who leads DNR’s fisheries outreach efforts. “Anglers did a great job last year in taking precautions, and with your help again this year, we think we can continue to contain the disease.”

VHS fish disease is not a human health threat but can kill 37 different species of fish, including trout, musky, bass and bluegill, and it caused large fish kills in some Great Lakes waters in 2005 and 2006. The disease was first detected in Wisconsin in 2007 in fish from the Lake Winnebago system and the Lake Michigan system; tests since then suggest the disease hasn’t spread beyond those waters.

“Anglers inadvertently moving infected live bait is a main way that VHS fish disease can spread to new waters; and with more than 400,000 fishing licenses sold by mid-week, the risk of spreading the disease is real,” Scheidegger says.

Anglers leaving boat launches with Eurasian water-milfoil and other plants attached to their boats or trailers, or juvenile zebra mussels in bilge water and live wells, also are at risk of spreading these and other invasive species to new waters. These and other invaders can take a toll on fish and fishing.

“Many of the same steps that will prevent the spread of VHS also prevent the spread of these invaders,” Scheidegger says. Those steps are:

• Inspect boats, trailers and equipment and remove visible aquatic plants, animals and mud before leaving the water access.
• Drain water from your boat, motor, bilge, life wells and bait containers before leaving the water access.
• Don’t move live fish away from a waterbody. Buy minnows from a Wisconsin bait dealer and use leftover minnows on another water only if you have not added to the bait container fish or lake or river water.

VHS rules and more information on the fish disease is found online at VHS and You: Keeping Wisconsin’s Waters Healthy; lists and maps showing which waters have zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species are found online at Aquatic Invasive Species Lists and Maps.

Longer stretches of the East Twin River and its tributaries in Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties, and Clark Lake, Logan Creek and Lost Lake in Door County are now considered to have VHS fish disease present and, therefore, have restrictions on bait harvest.

The extension of VHS-positive status to these waters reflects only a determination that low head dams on these waters are not preventing fish from Lake Michigan from reaching them. Fish from these waters have not so far tested positive for VHS.

DNR fish crews netting Clark Lake in Door County earlier this spring found fresh run steelhead, indicating that the low head dam on that lake is not an effective barrier for steelhead. And Logan Creek and Lost Lake are upstream from Clark Lake.

In Manitowoc County, DNR staff witnessed steelhead jumping over the dam at Mishicot on the East Twin River. There are no other dams upstream from Mishicot and as a result, the entire East Twin River and all of its tributaries in Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties are now considered to be VHS positive.

VHS rules consider VHS-positive waters to include all waters testing positive for VHS and all tributaries flowing into those waters upstream to the first dam capable of blocking upstream fish movement.

Fish from Lake Michigan were found to have VHS in 2007 and 2008. VHS affected waters are closed to all minnow harvesting. The only exception is that suckers can be taken but may not be transported away alive.

• VHS 101
  Important facts about VHS including the history, how it spreads, symptoms in fish and more.
• VHS Prevention
  Find out how you can help stop the spread of VHS.
• VHS Q&A
  Find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions here.
• Is that VHS?
  Find out the steps to take if you caught or saw a diseased fish.
• The revised Lake Michigan drainage map is found online at Lake Michigan Drainage Waters Covered by VHS Rules [PDF].

Now through fall, is the best time to control phragmites. Contact the DCIST to learn what you can do to control phragmites on your property, in your neighborhood or in your favorite park or natural area. The presentation by researcher Devany Plentovich is entitled, ” Comparing methods used to control the invasive wetland grass phragmites australis.”

This presentation reviewed the impact of three control measures (herbicide only, herbicide plus mowing, and herbicide plus prescribed burning) that were utilized in Brown, Marinette, and Door counties to control the invasive grass Phragmites australis. Field surveys analyzed the effectiveness of the control measures and documented the diversity and coverage of plant species post treatment, answering the following questions:

• Do control methods eradicate Phragmites?
• Which control method is most effective?
• What species of plants are present after treatment?

Devany Plentovich recently completed her Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and Policy through the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Her undergraduate degree is in Mechanical Engineering from Christian Brother University in Memphis, Tennessee. She currently works for Kimberly-Clark Corporation designing environmentally friendly consumer products and introducing environmental sustainability into the manufacturing processes.

Questions? contact Bob Bultman, Coordinator,
Door County Invasive Species Team
920.746.5955
dcist1@gmail.com