Iron County Land & Water Conservation Department

08/26/2026

Working on ordering our native trees and shrubs for 2027! What do you want to see on the order form?

08/24/2026

Please take a few minutes to fill out this community health survey. Use the QR code or click this link: https://www.tamarackhealth.org/about-us/community-health-needs-assessment/

Your voice shapes the health priorities in our community.

Tamarack Health Ashland Medical Center, along with the Ashland, Bayfield, and Iron County public health departments, is asking residents to take a short survey as part of our Community Health Needs Assessment — a process that directly informs local health programs and funding for the next three years.

It takes about 5 minutes, and you can enter to win a $50 gift card when you're done.

Take the survey: https://eitshffjfac.typeform.com/to/m5B3tvHc
Open now through September 10.

08/10/2026

Have you seen this plant in Iron County lately?

If you’ve noticed bright magenta flower spikes blooming along our roadsides, ditches, or shorelines over the past couple weeks, you might be seeing an invasive plant called purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)!

More information about purple loosestrife and what you can do if you find it in the photos below 👇👇👇

07/24/2026

This week at the Iron County Land & Water Conservation Department....replanting the bioretention basins at Saxon Harbor. These bioretention basins collect the runoff from the parking lots in the marina. The native plants with deep roots absorb the water and help infiltrate the collected rainwater into the soil, filtering out the impurities. Any excess water that makes it deeper through the soil is then outlets to the lake, much cleaner and cooler than it was when it reached the basin. The plantings done this year included 8,144 plant plugs. All of these are a mix of native grasses and wildflowers that will promote pollinator species and healthy water quality.

07/24/2026

We had a great day out on Spider Lake yesterday 🪲🌱

Molly and Cayden from Iron County Land & Water Conservation Department were out on Spider Lake yesterday looking for Purple Loosestrife….Good news, we inspected 6 sites and 5 showed no signs of PL. The sixth location had numerous plants, we dug out more than a dozen, and confirmed that the Galerucella beetles that had been released a few years ago had survived the winter and were eating Pl keeping the outbreak under control. We released hundreds more beetles that they had raised in Hurley in our efforts to control this invasive species.

07/14/2026

Out in the field: What we've been working on!
🪏🌱🚤

Here’s a quick look at some of what we've been up to in beautiful Iron County lately:

➡️ Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection Surveys
➡️ Raising Purple Loosestrife control beetles (Galerucella sp.)
➡️ Mussel monitoring
➡️ Sampling for spiny water fleas
➡️ Planting native plants
➡️ Pulling lots of garlic mustard

Check out these photos of our staff and other helpers hard at work! 👇

07/02/2026

Help Protect Wild Rice While Boating During Fourth of July Weekend.
Boaters: please be aware of early-growth wild rice while out on Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers, and flowages ahead of the Fourth of July weekend and throughout the rest of the summer growing season.
In early July, wild rice plants are at a higher risk of being uprooted during the early growth season, making it a vital time for boaters and other outdoor recreators to be aware of wild rice growth. The rice will likely have leaves growing above the water and become more visible as a grass growing out of the water. It isn’t until closer to the Labor Day weekend when these plants will be more robust and have stalks that support the seeds.
Boaters on known wild rice waters are encouraged to practice slow/no wake near shallow areas that might have wild rice growing, particularly in shallow areas of bays, backwaters, and near inlets and outlets of streams.
Learn more about wild rice in Wisconsin on the DNR's Wild Rice Harvesting webpage, where you'll also find a map of wild rice waters: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/rice

06/23/2026

Please give a warm welcome to our summer Conservation Field Technician, Cayden Corullo. Cayden’s been hard at work this past month doing Clean Boats, Clean Waters inspections, pulling garlic mustard, planting native plants, and so much more! Iron County is lucky to have her! 🎉

More about Cayden:

“Hi, I’m Cayden, and I’m from right here in Hurley, WI! I recently graduated from Northern Michigan University where I received my bachelor’s degree in Biology. I am super excited to apply the knowledge I’ve gained through my education towards conservation efforts in Iron County. I am also grateful for the opportunity to be working alongside Molly and Heather as they help expand my knowledge and experience in conservation! In my free time, I enjoy doing all outdoor activities including playing sports, walking, fishing, and relaxing around a campfire.”

06/22/2026

Last week, Iron County Land & Water Conservation Department hosted the WI Land+Water Conservation Camp for High School Students. On Tuesday, the campers helped to plant the bioretention basins at Saxon Harbor! 14 kids and 9 adults helped plant 4,100 native grasses and wildflowers to help collect water running off of the parking lot area in the marina. These bioretention basins help Saxon Harbor meet the Clean Marina designation, as well as the requirements of the DNR Stormwater permit. Campers learned about the function of the basins and helped install a conservation practice. After their hard work, we checked out some waterfalls and rinsed tie-dyes.

05/21/2026

We offer scholarships for Iron County youth to attend these camps! We will cover your registration fee! Contact Heather Palmquist by emailing - [email protected] or calling 715/561-2234 Ext 2. Registration is TOMORROW, May 22nd!

We're shouting it from the rooftops: Our Conservation Summer Camp registrations are EXTENDED until this Friday, May 22! 🏕️🎶

🚣High School Camp: June 15-18 at North Lakeland Discovery Center
⛺️Middle School Camp: June 28 - July 1 at Camp Lakotah

Sign up today: https://wisconsinlandwater.org/our-work/youth-education/conservation-camp