The spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) has been on the rise in Minnesota for the past 3 decades. These species cause harm to native aquatic populations, water quality and water recreation. It has become clear that once AIS are established in a waterbody, they are extremely costly and nearly impossible to eradicate. Being proactive to contain and manage current AIS infestations and promote Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce the risk of transporting AIS has been shown to be effective measures to prevent the spread of harmful AIS.

An AIS Task Force has been assembled to assist the Winona County Board of Commissioners and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in developing and administering programs and strategies that support and enhance the protection of Winona County’s waters. This task force is comprised of individuals representing public businesses (such as bait shop owners, etc.), community groups and government agencies.

Winona County has many water resources which provide wildlife habitat, recreational enjoyment and tourism revenue. Water resources include 243.5 miles of designated trout streams, Lake Winona and Goodview Lake, and the Mississippi River complex. Each resource is unique and can host a variety of AIS. Lake Winona, Goodview Lake and the Mississippi River are listed as infested by DNR. An inventory began in the summer of 2018 to determine the extent of AIS in our county’s waters. Through these efforts, Curly-leaf Pondweed and Reed Canary Grass have been found to be common in many Winona County streams. Rusty Crayfish have been identified in Money Creek and below the Pickwick Mill Dam.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has developed protocol for conducting an AIS inventory. With the WDNR’s protocol in mind, the SWCD has developed protocol for monitoring AIS in trout streams in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR), neighboring counties and other agencies. Data collected include the AIS of concern, water resource/location, extent of infestation, date and other pertinent information.

Monitoring of AIS infestations is a key aspect of reducing the spread of AIS. It is important to understand and identify pathways of AIS spread between water resources. Special attention should be paid to these pathways so that early detection and rapid response activities can be utilized to reduce the risk of AIS introduction into new waters. Baseline monitoring of AIS in Winona County trout streams was completed in 2023. Invasive species present in Winona County trout streams included Reed Canary Grass, Curly-leaf Pondweed, Rusty Crayfish, Purple Loosestrife, Yellow Iris and Non-native Phragmites. See the “Winona County AIS Monitoring Summary 2023”, attached, for further details.

Measures to prevent the spread of and manage AIS include education and outreach by posting signage at water access locations, hosting community involvement projects, developing a school curriculum/program, providing literature at public events (such as the County Fair) and promoting BMPs to all water resource user groups.

It is the mission of Winona County to work with Winona County Soil and Water Conservation District to assemble an AIS Task Force to develop and administer programs and strategies that support and enhance the protection of Winona County’s waters through public education and awareness, inventory, mapping, containment and eradication and advisement of effective strategies to the Winona County Board of Commissioners and Soil and Water Conservation District Board.