Central WI Invasive Partnership Needs Volunteers for Mapping Blitz 2020

For OnFocus – The Central Wisconsin Invasive Partnership is looking for volunteers to help with Mapping Blitz 2020. The CWIP is a Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) that covers seven counties in central Wisconsin. The Invasive Partnership looks to find and map terrestrial invasive species (TIS). The partnership concentrates specifically on invasive plants.

Two grants make the program possible. One of those is a U.S. Forest Service Cooperative Weed Management Grant. The other is a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) weed management grant. That grant covers the areas that are not in the Great Lakes Watershed. Asa Plonsky, Terrestrial Invasive Species Coordinator and Central Wisconsin Invasives Partnership (CWIP) Coordinator, said that includes Wood and Juneau Counties as well as parts of Portage and Washara and more of Adams County.

What are invasive species?

Invasive species are species that come from somewhere else. Many of the invasive species present in Wisconsin are from Asia or Europe originally. Some, such as buckthorn, were planted purposely. Because they grow so densely, they were often planted as “natural fences” in some places before it was known how quickly the shrub would take over. Others may have been planted for their visual appeal. Still others were introduced unintentionally.

Non-native species are listed as invasive due to the problem they cause on the landscape. Invasive species often outcompete native species. However, most do not make good habitat for native wildlife species. They may also push out important food sources needed by native animal species.

Some invasive species and cause other problems, too, such as inhibiting recreation and negatively affecting tourism. They can cause problems for agriculture and even be a health hazard. Wild parsnips, for instance, can cause a bad skin reaction or even blisters for people who are out in the sun.

Invasive plants often either do not have as good of a root system, or do not allow for ground cover plants to grow. This can cause erosion issues that can effect water quality.
The Mapping Blitz looks to track down all of these nasty invasives. From there, management decisions can be made on how best to deal with any issues on the landscape.

How to Help

Volunteers can find their training for the 2020 Mapping Blitz online. Due to the COIVD-19 pandemic, all instruction is virtual this year, making it easy for volunteers to go through the material at a time that is most convenient for them.

The instruction walks the citizen scientist (which is what these volunteers are called) through the priority species and how to identify them. Priority species are the ones that are the biggest in the fight against invasive species. Those species for this year’s Blitz include wild parsnip, teasel, and Japanese knotweed. There are also Quick ID guides on the website for volunteers to use.

All of the mapping done by volunteers is uploaded into a website called EDDMaps.org. There visitors can find species information as well as more information about invasive species. This website does not have just terrestrial invasive species listed. It also has diseases, wildlife, and insects listed there. No matter what invasive a person is interested in, they are all there, along with identification features as well as maps showing where they are found or already known in the state.

Volunteers are not only looking for possible new stands of invasive species, but also how known populations of invasive species may have changed.

There is also an app for Android or iPhone. That app is called the Great Lakes Early Detection Network, or GLEDN. For those on iPhone, search the app store for Great Lakes EDN. On Android, search for the acronym GLEDN. This is a very handy tool to use in the field. Full instructions on how to use the app and how to create a log in are on the CWIP website.

After watching the webinar, volunteers can then put in for a route to monitor. To sign up for a route, simply email Asa Plonsky at [email protected]. From there, volunteers go out and map the route they are given, then email Asa again so she knows the route has been completed.

Of course, Plonksy said, app users are able to map any invasive species they see anywhere, but the mapping blitz looks specifically at routes where citizen scientists are likely to find a priority species.

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