Peninsula Residents Team Up On Invasive Plants

Early in September, landowners from communities around the peninsula took part in a cooperative effort to control a local pest: Japanese knotweed, also known as “elephant ears.”

With its sweet-smelling flowers, frisbee-sized leaves, and towering shoots, it would seem a unique addition to any ornamental garden, but this invasive species has a dark side. Some locals have horror stories of roots coming into their basement. In the eastern U.S. where it’s had time to get established, the situation is even worse. Vast stretches of riverbanks have been swallowed up by its bamboo-like stalks, leaving little or no access to the water. In England, landowners face even more dire consequences: banks will no longer finance a home if this plant is on the property. No joke.

If it’s such a big deal, why haven’t we heard more about Japanese knotweed? Mostly just good luck. Invasive species tend to follow people - hitching a ride on their boats, trailers, cars, boots, etc. - and we simply have fewer people moving through our area. What’s more, we have a harsh climate that prevents many invaders from getting established. However, in the last five years, we have seen Japanese knotweed creep into more alleys, ravines, and forest edges throughout Bayfield and Ashland counties, sparking a widespread effort to control the plant before it gets a stronghold.

Leading the effort was the Northwoods Cooperative Weed Management Area, or NCWMA. Based in the northern four counties of the state, the NCWMA is a group of agencies working together on invasive species, including federal, tribal, state, and county agencies, along with several community groups and volunteers. For over five years, NCWMA members have been pooling their collective resources to stem the tide of plants like Japanese knotweed into the Lake Superior region of Wisconsin. The strategy is similar to the way emergency response agencies work together, with each entity contributing its available resources to address a threat.

NCWMA members went door-to-door in late August to talk with landowners who had Japanese knotweed on their property. Nearly a dozen homeowners in Iron River, Washburn, Bayfield, and Herbster took part in the large-scale effort to control the invasive plant, and road crews from Herbster and Bayfield helped out by locating many roadside patches. Over the course of three days, each stand was successfully treated by NCWMA members who have experience in control methods and plant identification. Although Japanese knotweed is not gone for good, we now have a much better chance to keep this invasive plant out of our rivers and natural areas.

If you would like to find out more about invasive species in Wisconsin’s Lake Superior region, join our program for National Public Lands Day on Sept. 24. For more information, visit the NCWMA website at www.northwoodscwma.org.

Darienne McNamara is the Coordinator for the Northwoods CWMA. She can be reached at info@northwoodscwma.org.