Strategic Plan Outlines Goals and Strategies to Manage AIS for Winnebago System
The Winnebago System Aquatic Invasive Species Strategic Plan is a comprehensive strategy for managing aquatic invasive species (AIS) in the Winnebago System while working to minimize the potential spread of AIS into and out of the System. This plan is intended to be used to implement a coordinated strategy among numerous partners including state, county, and local governments as well as sportsmen clubs, non-profit groups, and citizens.
Previous efforts to stop the spread of AIS into and out of the Winnebago System have included several management plans. The last WDNR approved plan was written in 1989. The importance and usage of the System warranted the need for an updated and comprehensive AIS Strategic Plan formally approved by the WDNR so that an accepted regional approach to managing AIS can guide future efforts. As such, the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways AIS Outreach and Prevention Program worked to write an updated AIS Strategic Plan for the Winnebago System.
In the submitted AIS Strategic Plan, six goals have been identified to ensure successful AIS prevention in the Winnebago System.
- Coordination and Collaboration – Coordinate and collaborate with other AIS partners on Winnebago System AIS Management Activities.
- Prevention – Prevent new introductions of AIS via transport pathways through education efforts.
- Monitoring – Monitor for the introduction and spread of AIS in the Winnebago System.
- Response – Assist WDNR with new and existing AIS issues in the Winnebago System and develop a refined process for local dissemination of recent AIS information.
- Research – Aid in identifying AIS research priorities and sharing AIS research results for the Winnebago System.
- Sustainability – Sustain an AIS Outreach, Education, and Prevention Program in the Winnebago System for successful implementation of this AIS Strategic Plan in order to utilize it as a living document.
To accomplish each of the above goals, detailed strategies and activities have been developed and are described in the AIS Strategic Plan. In order to be effective at successfully managing and preventing the spread of AIS, the Winnebago System AIS Strategic Plan requires a coordinated effort from AIS partners in utilizing the Plan as a living document to sustain implementation and combat the changing AIS landscape. While much has already been done, important work remains to protect the Winnebago System from new introductions while simultaneously protecting other lakes and rivers from the spread of AIS out of the System to other waterbodies statewide.
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator for the Winnebago Waterways Program covering Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!
Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
