Items
of Interest:
Ballast Water Discharge General Permit
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Effective Feb 1, 2010, the DNR starts regulating large oceangoing ships to prevent them from accidentally introducing harmful new invasive species to Wisconsin's Great Lakes waters, and in turn, our inland lakes and rivers. The DNR permit supplements the current federal general permit that scientists have concluded does not provide significant protection to the Great Lakes. It requires oceangoing ships to meet numerical standards for live organisms left in ballast water after it's been treated.
Governor
Doyle Signs Six Bills into Law (Oct
28, 2009)
Wisconsin Office of the Governor.
Jim Doyle.
Governor Jim Doyle signed Senate
Bill 123 - 2009 Wisconsin Act 55 (Oct 28,
2009; PDF | 33 KB) which furthers protects
against invasive aquatic species by establishing
statewide enforcement and increasing Department
of Natural Resources authority requiring
seaplanes, watercraft, vehicles or boats
to remove attached aquatic plants.
Stepped
up Aquatic Invasive Species Enforcement
Starting This Weekend (Aug 25, 2009)
Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources. Northern
Region.
The Department of Natural Resources
conservation wardens are increasing enforcement
of laws that prevent the spread of Aquatic
Invasive Species and the fish disease Viral
Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS). They are issuing
citations and fining anglers and boaters
who do not comply with the rules. Information
on aquatic invasive species, the fish disease
VHS, and rules to prevent these invaders’ spread
can be found on the DNR's
site VHS
and You: Keeping Wisconsin's Waters Healthy.
Project
(RED): Riverine Early Detectors
River Alliance of Wisconsin.
Project RED provides tools and training for volunteers to monitor their rivers
for 15 species of concern. The project is a collaboration between the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, the National
Institute for Invasive Species Science and the River Alliance of Wisconsin.
The
Green Beetle (Emerald Ash Borer) Found
in Green Bay (Jul
28, 2009)
Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
An
adult
Emerald Ash
Borer was found about a mile south
of the bay in Brown County. This is the
fifth Wisconsin county to have confirmed
the presence of EAB since the state's first
detection in Aug 2008, in southeast
Wisconsin. 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. Wisconsin's
Emerald Ash Borer Information Source provides
assistance in detecting and reporting the
EAB.
Governor
Doyle Announces Green Summer Youth Program
to Combat Aquatic Invasive Species (Jul
23, 2009)
Wisconsin Office of Recovery and
Reinvestment.
Department of Workforce Development
Secretary Roberta Gassman, on behalf
of Governor Jim Doyle, announced the Invasive
Species Demonstration Project (2009; PDF
| 278 KB).
The Recovery-funded "green jobs" pilot
program will employ 55 young adults this
summer at boat landings across the state
to combat invasive species. The participants,
trained as watercraft inspectors, will work
at boat landings, informing and educating
the public about aquatic invasive species.
Duties also include inspecting boats, observing
boater behavior and entering the information
into an online database.
Tomahawk
Lake Association Reduces Eurasian Water
Milfoil (EWM) Infestation By 55 Percent
In 2008 (Jun 19, 2009)
Tomahawk
Lake Assocation.
In 2008, the Tomahawk Lake Association developed
a Comprehensive Lake Management Plan to address
many facets of Tomahawk Lake's
ecology and ensure the lake’s long
term health. The plan includes a goal to
incrementally reduce the total acreage of
currently established Eurasian Water Milfoil
(EWM) by 80 percent over five years, from
2008 to 2012. The TLA has reported that EWM
was reduced by 55 percent, or eighteen net
acres, in the Tomahawk Lake system in 2008.
Spread
of Key Aquatic Invasive Species Slowed
in 2007-2008 (Jun 2, 2009)
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary
Matt Frank announced a new report shows
the spread of key aquatic invasive species has
slowed in recent years. See the 2007-08
Summary Report on Aquatic Invasive Species for more
information about Wisconsin's efforts.
Wisconsin's
Fifth Annual Invasive Species Awareness
Month "Slow the Spread
by Sole and Tread" -- Jun 2009
Wisconsin Council on Invasive Species.
Attend workshops, field trips and lectures
throughout the state
to learn more about the impacts of invasive
species in Wisconsin.
Natural
Resources Board Approved New Rule on Invasive
Species (Apr 22, 2009)
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Secretary Matt Frank today announced the
state Natural Resources Board approved a
new framework for classifying
invasive species and
providing preventive measures to control
their spread in the state at its meeting
in West Bend. Invasives are able to out-compete
native plants and wildlife and can significantly
affect the economy and outdoor traditions.
Wisconsin is the first state in the nation
to develop a comprehensive rule of this kind.
Drafted over a period of four years with
extensive input from stakeholders, the Wisconsin
Council on Invasive Species and the public,
the new rule establishes a science-based
classification system for legally listing
invasive species.
Firewood
Facts, Rules & Advice
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
To protect our parks and forests from these
firewood hitch hikers (invasive pests and diseases),
the Wisconsin DNR has created a permanent rule,
effective Dec 2006, which prohibits
bringing firewood onto any DNR properties from
more than 50 miles away or from outside of
Wisconsin.
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