Photo By Scott Sturkol | Members of the Monroe County (Wis.) Invasive Species Working Group meet at Fort McCoy,...... read more read more
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Yet again, the Monroe County (Wis.) Invasive Species Working Group held their annual 2025 Field Day on June 26 at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area and at Pine View Campground at Fort McCoy.
More than 40 people participated in this event that included briefings about invasive species and how to control them, and updates from landowners currently fighting invasive species on their lands, and more. It also included field examples of invasive plants as well as discussions on how to best curb the spread of invasive species.
Event coordinators included personnel with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), and others. The group is a cooperative effort led by Monroe County Land Conservation, WDNR Forestry, Fort McCoy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agencies.
Biologist Jessup Weichelt and Natural Resources Specialist Jessica Salesman with the NRB also participated in the event.
Salesman said the event went well.
“I do think it went over well, despite the challenges – last minute venue change in anticipation of inclement weather, and other things,” Salesman said. “Everyone was willing to go with the flow, thankfully. It was a very well attended event. We had 25 people sign up in advance and others just show up. Including everyone involved with the program, we had 40-plus people at Whitetail.
“Attendees included fellow professionals, landowners, and interested individuals — not all living and working in Monroe County,” Salesman said. “Those who I had an opportunity to talk to seemed happy overall with the presentations. I was impressed with how many even made it from Whitetail Ridge to Pine View when we attempted the outdoor portion of the program — seeing the rain had been holding off for so long.”
Eventually the rain did begin but wasn’t until the near end of the field day.
Salesman said the field day has proven to be a great event in sharing information on how to lessen the spread of invasive plant species in the county, and more.
Invasive species can be terrestrial, aquatic, or wetland invasives, according to the WDNR.
“One of the reasons that invasive species are able to succeed is that they often leave their predators and competitors behind in their native ecosystems,” states the WDNR webpage on invasive species, https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Invasives/what.html. “Without these natural checks and balances, they are able to reproduce rapidly and out-compete native species.
“Invasive species can alter ecological relationships among native species and can affect ecosystem function, economic value of ecosystems, and human health,” the website states.
Some common types of invasive species in Wisconsin include common barberry and black locust trees, garden yellow and purple loosestrife, and leafy spurge plants, and more.
Tim Wilder, former NRB chief and past coordinator for invasive species management at Fort McCoy, said in past articles that being a part of this working group is good for the post, and more.
“Fort McCoy is an active participant in the Monroe County Invasive Species Working Group for many good reasons,” Wilder said. “The more folks we can get involved in managing and controlling invasive species in the county, the better chance we have for success here on Fort McCoy. Government agencies — whether they are local, state, or federal — cannot do this alone. Getting private landowners involved is critical to success.”
For more information about the group, visit https://www.co.monroe.wi.us/departments/land-conservation/invasive-species-workgroup.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 07.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.04.2025 02:20 |
| Story ID: | 533272 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 8 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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