Northwoods Cooperative Weed Management Area

05/27/2026

We had a great group that helped hand-pull in Ashland along Bay City Creek. Thanks to the WATERS Club from Ashland High School and the Ashland County Land and Water Conservation Department. Unfortunately the garlic mustard is quite dense in this area.

05/26/2026

Garlic mustard season is in full swing! Last week the NCWMA and our partners hand-pulled garlic mustard along the Bad River in Mellen all week. We had great help from Ashland Middle School's 7th grade last Wednesday! The garlic mustard was not too dense in many places. Funding for our work along the Bad River comes from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Coastal Management program and the Wisconsin DNR's W**d Management Area-Private Forest Grant.

Thanks to all of the partners who attended including: Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ashland County Land and Water Conservation Department, Bad River-Mashkiiziibii Natural Resources Department-Non local beings, Red Cliff Band Natural Resources, EcoNorth LLC, Friends of Copper Falls State Park.

05/07/2026

Volunteers wanted!

05/06/2026

Come out next week for our first hand-pull event in Central Park, Superior.

05/06/2026

The purple loosestrife biocontrol project has begun! The NCWMA and our partners are working to raise Gallerucella beetles for controlling purple loosestrife. A few weeks ago, we put together the "mass rearing cage" at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. Last week, we worked with a great group of kids to dig up purple loosestrife, pot it, and put it in the rearing cage. The purple loosestrife will keep our beetle larvae fed and help develop a nice large batch of Gallerucella beetles. We will take the beetles to purple loosestrife infestations later in the summer. Stay tuned... the next step will be near the end of May, when we will gather beetles and add them to our rearing cage.

04/28/2026

Cats are bird killers! They are not part of the natural ecosystem. Cats are domestic animals that act like an invasive species when they roam outside. Keep your cats inside!

04/21/2026

The NCWMA has two openings for AIS Interns. Spread the word! Apply today through the Bayfield County website: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/bayfieldco/jobs/5312353/aquatic-invasive-species-intern?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

04/21/2026

Come out and help hand-pull garlic mustard this spring! It is a great way to get out, meet people, and do something good for the environment. Check out our schedule below!

04/21/2026

Lesser celandine or fig buttercup (Ficaria verna) is an aggressive invasive species. The NCWMA has only one known population. If you see it, report it!

With its light yellow flowers and heart-shaped, dark green leaves, fig buttercup looks as pretty as its name. But scientists say this invasive plant is spreading quickly across Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota and will outcompete and kill native plants.

04/21/2026

This is very important! Do not cut or prune oak trees from now through mid-July. Beetles that spread oak wilt fungus are attracted to fresh cut oak sap. Once infected, the tree will die as well as any trees connected by the roots.