Invasive Species

Over $500,000 of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding is being distributed by the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) through the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF) to improve management outcomes for treatment of the non-native Phragmites australis (common reed). 

With Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding provided by the USDA Forest Service, Saginaw Bay Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area established a two-person strike team to monitor and prioritize invasive plant species including phragmites, European frog-bit, and Japanese knotweed. The strike team monitored over 700 acres for invasive plants and treated over 250 acres to control phragmites, Japanese knotweed and European frog-bit population and spread.

A new paper by NOAA researchers identifies the top ten invasive species with the greatest negative impacts in the Great Lakes, serving as a reference point for educators and science communicators throughout the region.

The USDA Forest Service is requesting grant applications for projects that address invasive plant species that pose major ecological threats in the Great Lakes Basin or for protection and restoration of forests in the Great Lakes Basin. Applications are due September 18th, 2024.

Thanks to funding from GLRI, the University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Great Waters Research Collaborative has been working with shipping companies to collect data on board Laker vessels to assess the performance of ballast water management systems.

The Forest Service is awarding $6.28 million in grants to support restoration projects on nonfederal lands in Great Lakes states. These projects improve the quality of water flowing into the Great Lakes through planting trees to intercept stormwater runoff and controlling invasive species.

GLRI funds support researchers working quickly to find solutions to an invasive species sweeping the Great Lakes - the red swamp crayfish. Researchers, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are hopeful as they try various combinations of management and eradication techniques.

To support the ongoing battle to reduce the destructiveness of invasive carp and the threats they pose to the Great Lakes, the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee announced the release of its annual Invasive Carp Action Plan for 2024.

Several tribes in Wisconsin are making progress removing invasive plant species through this USDA Forest Service Eastern Region grant.