Crew Mapping Greatest Wetland Threats in Door County

A four-person summer crew is mapping invasive species populations in the Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands Ramsar site to prioritize the areas under greatest threat from Japanese knotweed, European marsh thistle, phragmites, reed canary grass, glossy buckthorn and narrow-leaved cattail, all of which are known to be a threat to the health of these wetlands and the native plants and animals that depend on them.

The Nature Conservancy was awarded a $186,200 grant from the Sustain Our Great Lakes program to hire the seasonal crew for two years to control invasive species and restore and enhance coastal wetlands within the Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands Ramsar Site, a 11,443-acre wetland complex in northern Door County designated as a Wetland of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention in 2015.

The grant is being matched with additional funding from the Nature Conservancy and The Ridges Sanctuary, as well as volunteer hours donated to the project, to bring the total funding for the project to more than $413,600.

The crew will also map populations of any new invasive species they find and give native plants a boost by controlling these invaders.

“We’re very excited about the work this crew is doing,” said Kari Hagenow, Nature Conservancy land steward and coordinator of the Door County Invasive Species Team, “because it will allow us to make real progress in removing some of the worst populations of six non-native species that are invading the coastal wetlands in our Ramsar Wetlands area. It also gives us the flexibility to move quickly when we find a new invasive that requires immediate attention.”

Private landowners in Door County interested in learning how to identify and control invasive species on their land can contact the Door County Invasive Species Team hotline at 920.746.5955 for more information.