Twenty-three local proposals were submitted for funding to our 2025 SEWISC Assistance Program. After careful deliberation, the selection committee ultimately awarded six small grants for on-the-ground invasive species control projects which will be conducted in our region over the next few months. Here is a summary of those projects:
$1,996 was awarded to UWM at Waukesha Field Station for control equipment and native plant seeds that will assist with their ongoing invasive plant abatement and native habitat restoration efforts. The Station uses a multi-faceted approach to invasive control by prioritizing new localized infestations that may be extirpated as well as established populations threatening vulnerable habitats.
The shores of Grass Lake have been a top management priority for Waukesha County Parks and Land Use staff over the past six years. Their $2,000 award will be used to engage a Wisconsin Conservation Corps Crew to manage woody and herbaceous invasive species while enhancing native plant communities through meticulous physical control and targeted herbicide spot treatments.
A $570 award was given to the Mequon Nature Preserve toward the cost of equipment needed for a prescribed burn in 16 acres of prairie habitat. Native grass seed will be spread over the burned areas to prevent the return of invasive plants and help to improve habitat for native wildlife.
Summit Bog Preserve
in Waukesha County
SEWISC awarded $1,439 to the Friends of Wehr Nature Center to aid with their restoration of southern lowland forest and wet-prairie communities. Funds will be used to purchase native herbaceous plants and tree species which will replace buckthorn and other woody invasives.
The Environmental Park Trust of Sheboygan County was awarded $2,000 to control invasive Phragmites in Maywood Environmental Park. The SEWISC award will also provide native replacement species and protective fencing.
A $2,000 award was given to the Waukesha County Land Conservancy for invasive buckthorn and hybrid cattail control in Summit Bog Preserve. Support from SEWISC will be used for management supplies and launch a landowner education program to engage neighboring property owners in best practices for invasive species control.