CREATING and

COMMUNICATING ABOUT
THE PLAN WITH OTHERS
 Important to be accurate
in terms being used
• Not all non-native plants are invasive.
• Only a small percentage of non-native
plants are widely naturalized
• Of these, only a few cause significant
ecological damage - these are the
invasive plants.
 Invasive Species
• these weeds threaten some sensitive
areas
• other plants—and the animals that need
them—are being crowded out by this plant
species
• destroying the vegetation that was here
before and replacing it with a much less
diverse plant community
Plants are not inherently good or bad
—remember, each of these weeds is
native somewhere.
Invasives are a threat because climate
suits it, and because native animals or
insects don’t eat the plant, giving it a
competitive advantage over other plants.

Supporting natural diversity—

removing these few problem species
allows hundreds of others to flourish.
Invasive Plants and
War Metaphors
War metaphors
paint an
antagonistic image
of weed workers
and do not capture
the positive spirit or
complexity of
ecological
restoration.
Communication
• You are engaged in
the art of
interpretation
whenever you are
talking on-site with
landowners or to a
group of volunteers
at a work party.
 Good Communication
• Requires you to
recreate all the
information that
you have learned
in a way that’s
accessible,
meaningful, and
compelling to your
audience
 Know your Audience
• Connect what you have to say to what the
audience wants to learn
• Don’t assume that they know how
pervasive the problem of invasive plants is
• Provide site specific information that will
be helpful to them
• Be sure they understand how they or their
land fits into the management plan
Take advantage of opportunities to spread
the word about your project, public
meetings, posting signs at your worksite
with before-and-after photographs
Cooperative Weed
Management Areas
 What is a CWMA?
•Local weed management organization

•Led by a steering committee

•Formally organized under agreement

•Facilitate cooperation and coordination

•Network across all jurisdictional boundaries

 What do CWMAs do?
Education – Awareness
 What do CWMAs do?
Prevention

Boot Brush Stations

 What do CWMAs do?
Early Detection – Rapid Response
 What do CWMAs do?
Integrated Pest Management - Control
 What do CWMAs do?
Monitoring
 Why Form a CWMA?
NFWF – Pulling Together Initiative funding
1.2

1
Mean $ per mi^2

0.8

2004

0.6 2005

0.4

0.2

0
Great Plains Mid-Atlantic Midwest New England Northwest Southeast Southwest
Region
 Why form a CWMA?
• They cross boundaries – management is by ecological rather than
political boundaries

• They allow partners to share and leverage limited resources

(volunteers, tools, herbicides, mailing and printing costs, media contacts, etc.)

• They are highly visible, building community awareness and participation

• They focus attention and present a united effort to state and federal
legislators

• They reduce the risk of control efforts to water, crops, threatened &
endangered (T&E) species, etc.

• They provide an early detection and rapid response network

• They help secure funding

 Northwoods CWMA
• History – Several years as larger Northwoods
Weed Initiative, PTI grant for leafy spurge
control
• Region – Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas Counties,
far northern WI
• Partners
– Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Cmssn
– Chequamegon/Nicolet National Forest
– National Park Service
– NRCS
– Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas Co. Land Cons. District
– many others interested
 Starting a CWMA
• Identify potential partners/start building support
• Establish geographical boundaries
• Choose a CWMA fiscal manager
• Choose an initial leader or champion
• Hold a public meeting, invite partners
• Establish a steering committee
• Establish and utilize ad hoc committees
• Develop an agreement (MOU)
• Develop a strategic management plan
• Develop an annual operating plan
• Do projects and have project managers
• Celebrate success and get media attention
 Identify Potential Partners and
Begin Building Support
• Land management entities
• Key and interested land owners
• Agencies – federal, state, county, municipal –
get support from persons with authority to sign
agreements and commit resources
• Quasi-government organizations –
drainage districts, lake districts, utilities, RC&D’s,
schools
• Stakeholders – industries, professional
associations, recreation groups, etc.
 Communicate!
• Keep all partners informed – share agendas,
meeting minutes, updates
• Use media, newsletters, websites to keep others
informed
• Send reports, newsletters to funders
• Work closely with agencies in the area
• Share information with other CWMA’s
 More Resources
- Guidelines for Coordinated Management of
Noxious Weeds:
Development of Weed Management Areas
http://www.weedcenter.org/management/guidelines/tableofconte

- CWMA Resources from Center for Invasive Plant

Management
http://www.weedcenter.org/weed_mgmt_areas/wma_overvi
ew.html#resources
 4th Annual Invasive Species
Awareness Month (ISAM)
• Project of the WI Council on Invasive
Species
• Governor’s proclamation
• June 2008 focus – “Aquatic Invaders”
• Aimed at both education and behavior
change
– Give people the knowledge they need to
PREVENT infestations