It seems that every year the caliber of the nominees increases, making it ever more difficult to determine who should be named the Invader Crusaders. Although all of the nominees are more than qualified, listed below are the nine award winners for 2010 whose work stood out the most:

Student Research - Alycia Crall

Since arriving in Wisconsin to attend UW-Madison in 2006, Alycia Crall has been focused on utilizing the large amount of citizen scientists the state provides by studying the best methods of outreach, identification and inventory training, and technology education. As part of her research, Alycia traveled throughout the state training anyone willing to use the database developed by the National Institute of Invasive Species Science and the user friendly interface, Cit-Sci. In addition, Alycia coordinated a regional conference on mapping which allowed professionals and citizens to see how other states were tracking invasive species and which techniques were working the best. Overall, Alycia’s work in Wisconsin will be continuing as more resource managers see the need for inventory and as she develops protocols for working with citizen scientists.   

Volunteer Individual – Ron Richter

For ten years, Ron Richter has been rearing Galerucella beetles for purple loosestrife bio control voluntarily for the northeast region of Wisconsin. Working with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Master Gardeners, and anyone else who was willing, Ron has increased the number of beetles raised and started a rearing station at the Brillion Nature Center just in order to meet the growing demand as he expanded his range from one county to eight. Besides holding educational workshops about the beetles and purple loosestrife, Ron has also been a presence at the Calumet County Fair everyday it is open since he started in this project. Ron’s enthusiasm, persistence, hard work, and love of teaching have made him a legacy in his own right.

Volunteer Pair – Lawanda Jungwirth & Audrey Ruedinger

As volunteers with the Winnebago County Master Gardeners since 1994, this pair has been coordinating invasive species removal activities and has also been releasing community education messages through the Oshkosh Northwester newspaper. They have also been involved with training other volunteers in the Master Gardener program about invasive species and developed educational materials that can be used at public events such as home and garden shows and the Oshkosh farmer’s market. In addition to a strong focus on education, these ladies have put their muscle behind their “public enemies.” Lawanda works on controlling garlic mustard through hand pulling along the Wiouwash Trail. Audrey focuses on buckthorn control at the Waukau Nature Trail and at a restored prairie in Waukau.

Volunteer Group – Transportation & Utility Rights-of-Way Best Management Practices Advisory Committee

In 2008, representatives from Alliant Energy, We Energies, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Enbridge Inc., American Transmission Company, Integrys Energy Group, Xcel Energy, Public Service Commission, Towns Association, and County Highway Association came together and began drafting the Best Management Practices for Transportation and Utility Rights-of-Way. Although this was the last of the four tracks to be approved (December 2009), it has been the most widely adopted and implemented. There have been over 15 meetings and conferences put on by all of the organizations involved in developing the BMP’s and countless workshops are planned for this summer to educate crews and the public about common invasive species and what they can do to slow the spread. This group of professionals has had no funding for the development or implementation of these practices and has volunteered their time because “they were so compelled by the threat of invasive species they almost had no choice but to do something.” 

Professional Individual – Diane Schauer

Although Diane Schauer has been employed as the Calumet County Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator since 2007, her work and enthusiasm reaches far beyond aquatics. Diane has proven to be an advocate for the impact that any invasive species can cause and is always prepared to educate. She has organized the Mill’s Fleet Farm Fishing Day that takes place at every location in Wisconsin and Minnesota where kids and parents are made aware of AIS and what they can do to prevent the spread. Diane is also a contributor to On Wisconsin Outdoors and numerous local newspapers. In addition, Diane has taken it upon herself to map invasive species that are present on the rights-of-way and has encouraged her county DOT to attend a workshop that focuses on rights-of-way management, who ended up being so impacted by this that they later attended the Wisconsin Association of Lakes symposium. Besides mapping roadways, Diane can also be spotted at ATV and Hunter education classes, church group garage/garden sales, farmer’s markets, and libraries during AIS story hour. “She’s the whole package!”

Professional Individual Business – Connie Ramthun

As the owner and operator of Kettle Moraine Natural Landscaping, Connie Ramthun’s primary interest has been establishing and managing prairies. However, that work has been strongly laced with invasive species management. Connie has gone beyond her business and instilled invasive management practices into the UW-Fond du Lac Arboretum, where she acts as the grounds director, and also brought foresight to the Friends of the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest, in which Connie is a member of the board of directors. Tireless efforts of recruiting volunteers for her many management projects, and often going out solo to work on projects, have given Connie credibility and sustainability in her many endeavors. With this, Connie “introduced the idea that (Northern Kettle Moraine Friends Group) should not only be working towards improving recreational opportunities in the state forest, but should support ecosystem management efforts in the forest, in particular the control of invasives.” Through Connie’s effort, she has influence many organizations and volunteers through programs that she developed and through her own tenacity and hard-work.   

Professional Individual DNR

– Peter Flaherty

With more than 33 years in Legal Services with the Department of Natural Resources, Peter Flaherty has had many successes when it comes to protecting Wisconsin’s natural legacy. Shortly after starting with the DNR, Peter got acquainted with invasive species in the Great Lakes and started calling out for regulations to stop invasive species from being brought in. In September 2009, after five years of tireless efforts in drafting the rule and following procedures, Wisconsin’s Invasive Species Identification, Classification, and Control Rule (NR 40) became effective.  This process and type of regulation is already being used as a model in other states, such as California and New York. Shortly after this major accomplishment, Act 55 also passed and, in coordination with NR 40, created a foundation for major regulations and control of invasive species, whether it is algae, plants, fish, invertebrates, or diseases.

-         Bernie Williams & Tom  Boos

Although Bernie and Tom have been involved in the development of all four tracks of the Best Management Practices (BMP)( forestry, recreational users, urban forestry, and transportation & utility rights-of-way), their administrative and organizational support for the recreational users advisory committee was essential. Without that support, development of these guidelines would have been a much longer process. They brought the experience of working on other tracks and the knowledge of how invasive species travel and where they prefer to take up residence to the larger group, in which all members did not necessarily have an interest in invasive species before being asked to participate in this process. Through Bernie and Tom’s efforts, and those of the larger group, recreationalists statewide will be impacted and can feel empowered to limit the spread of invasive species.  

Professional Organization – Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center

Not only does the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center help people to connect with historic, cultural, and natural resources in the Great Lakes Region, they also incorporate invasive species into many aspects of the “Center.” The Center approaches invasive species through educational programming, management activites, exhibits and trails, events, and collaboration. Through the Center’s partnership with the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge, a project called the Invasive Free Zone (IFZ) started in 2005 and is now the protocols have been developed into the Invasive Free Zone Guidebook that is being used across the nation. The Center also works closely with the Northwoods Cooperative Weed Management Area (NCWMA) by providing a meeting place for their members and houses a community tool shed that includes GPS units that can be used for documenting invasive species locations. Due to the unique partnerships that are involved with the Center, it “enables each participating partner to act as a positive multiplier for the other.”