Invasive and Noxious Species Management
Invasive Species in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources follows an invasive species rule found in Chapter NR-40. This splits invasive species into two groups:
Prohibited: not yet in the state or only in a few places, likely to cause environmental and/or economic harm, eradication and prevention is feasible.
Restricted: already widely established in the state, high environmental and/or economic impacts are evident, complete eradication is unlikely
Village of Egg Harbor Noxious Weed Ordinance
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources leaves defining specific plant species as Noxious to local municipalities. On April 9, 2022 the Village Board established a list of seven species, including the four that the County DCIST Team focuses on as outlined below, plus three additional species that are prevalent within the Village Limits.
These species are Phragmites, Wild Parsnip, Japanese Knotweed, Common and/or Cut-Leaved Teasel, Crown Vetch, Garlic Mustard, and Buckthorn.
The full ordinance Chapter 92 is on our website.
Why is this significant? Under Wisconsin State Statues §66.0407 and Wis. Stats. §60.22, local municipalities have the authority to require private property owners to remove Noxious species from their properties with proper public notice.
What is the Removal Program, and Why is it Important?
The Invasive Species Removal Program was developed to serve as an educational resource to all in the Village of Egg Harbor. The main objective of the program is to locate, treat, and remove invasive species, in conjunction with property owners to provide them with the correct materials and removal resources. Any geographical data collected will be kept on record to analyze the growth or depletion of invasive species in Egg Harbor.
PLEASE, do not attempt to remove any suspected invasive species until it has been positively identified by a professional.
The Village has an existing ordinance in place that addresses nuisance species eradication on both public and private property. The invasive species removal program has been created to help enforce this ordinance, since it has not been done in the past. To see this through, the Village hired an Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator, Lydia Semo, as the direct contact for the program, lsemo@villageofeggharbor.org.
Invasive species need to be correctly treated in a timely manner. Left untreated, they will continue to spread and can even eliminate other native organisms. The bigger an invasive species problem grows, the more expensive it is to take control of. The Village would like to map all locations to keep track of invasive species growth and depletion, so please report all findings to the Village.
What are Invasive Species?
- Organisms that are not native to our environment Spread rapidly through unintentional human and animal influence
- Cause damage to native ecosystems Intensely compete for resources; no natural competitors
- Nuisance species = invasive species
- Noxious species = harmful, not necessarily invasive
The Four Focus Species
Door County Soil and Water Conservation, including the Door County Invasive Species Team (DCIST) has grant funding to treat and remove four focus species in Door County. The species have the ability to cause harm to human health and infrastructure. These include Japanese knotweed, Phragmites, Common and Cut-leaf teasel, and Wild parsnip. If you have seen any of these species in Door County, please report them to Conservationist Sam Koyen: skoyen@co.door.wi.us
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From left to right: Japanese knotweed | Phragmites (invasive and native) | Common teasel | Cut teasel | Wild parsnip
What to Expect
The Ultimate Goal: create a comprehensive map of invasive species on public and private property, document the growth and eradication of invasive species. Volunteers welcome.
Future Plan: Educate all property owners about invasive species Communicate with and get to know residents throughout village, physically visit properties
- Report invasive species found on your property at villageofeggharbor.org/report
- Document locations of positively identified invasive species
- Treat the species, typically spring or fall; methods and approved list of contractors can be found at villageofeggharbor.org/removal
- Repeat treatments, return to locations to evaluate changes in size annually
- Desired Outcome: actively treat and remove all invasive species identified, on both public and private property
