Oconto County will be without a specialist to lead the fight against aquatic invasive species in local waterways this year. The county failed to receive grant funding for the position of AIS coordinator, following the expiration of a three-year grant.
“It’s very unfortunate, especially for northern Oconto County,” said Mike Winius, president of the Oconto County Lakes and Waterways Association.
He said maintaining pristine lakes will continue to attract people to the small communities in northern Oconto County where vacation homes and tourism bolster the local economy.
“One of the best resources in Oconto County is all its lakes. It’s a huge source of economic boom,” he said.
Winius said association members were hopeful the AIS coordinator would become a permanent county employee, but the position was not included in the 2015 budget and seems unlikely in the future as the County Board begins a strategic planning process to address spending practices that have drained the county’s resources.
“For Oconto County not to have someone on the staff … is a real loss,” Winius said.
He said the association will work to change its mission statement to reflect its new mission as a central point of resources and central contact for Oconto County’s lake-related issues, a service provided for the past three years by Amanda Strick.
Strick became the county’s first AIS coordinator in January 2012 when the county received a three-year, $150,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources that expired at the end of 2014. Strick resigned Sept. 20, and the county did not fill the position for the close of 2014.
Strick was responsible for creating an aquatic invasive species inventory and monitoring program and helped coordinate AIS projects for lake districts and associations. She also developed an Oconto County AIS strategic management plan.
Ken Dolata, head of the Oconto County Land Conservation Department, said the county cannot afford a full-time AIS coordinator without outside funding. His staff of three will handle some AIS responsibilities, but staff members won’t be devoted exclusively to the campaign against AIS as Strick had been.
According to Dolata, Strick’s trappings at county lakes showed signs of zebra mussel larvae in three county lakes where it had not been found previously. Dolata said the absence of an AIS coordinator means representatives from lake associations and the Department of Natural Resources will play a larger role in the early detection and monitoring of AIS.
Dolata said he intends to apply for a grant again for 2016.
Invasive animal species found in the county’s waterways include rusty crayfish, zebra and quagga mussels, and mystery snails. Invasive vegetation includes curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil. The non-native plants and animals face no competition or predators and choke out native plants and animals from the habitat.
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