CADILLAC — The North Country Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area organization has received an $89,200 grant from the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program to support invasive species management and coordination across the region in 2026.
According to Outreach Coordinator Michael Ramsey, the grant is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and will sustain core program operations and support targeted control efforts and regional collaboration across the six counties served by NCCISMA: Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Missaukee, Osceola and Wexford.
$70,000 in base funding will maintain program operations, including coordinator wages, administrative costs and operational equipment.
NCCISMA also said the core funding helps leverage additional resources, noting it has secured $256,000 in additional grant funding for upcoming years to expand invasive species management efforts across the region.
The remaining $19,200 will support several targeted management objectives, including continued treatment of black swallow-wort in Mecosta and Wexford counties.
Control efforts will focus on two known infestations in the NCCISMA service area at Millbrook in Mecosta County and at an isolated site near Manton in Wexford County.
Ramsey said black swallow-wort is a high-priority invasive plant that threatens native ecosystems and monarch butterfly reproduction because monarch butterflies may mistake it for common milkweed and larvae that hatch and feed on swallow-wort do not survive.
Grant funding will also support the treatment of wild parsnip infestations along the White Pine Trail in Wexford and Mecosta counties.
According to Ramsey, the plant’s sap can cause severe skin burns when exposed to sunlight, making control along trails and road crossings important for public safety.
Management efforts in Osceola County along the White Pine Trail will be supported through complementary funding from TC Energy.
The funding will also allow NCCISMA to co-host a statewide Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area field training event in the region. The training is expected to bring together invasive species professionals and partners from across Michigan to highlight management projects and collaborative efforts taking place throughout the NCCISMA service area.
Ramsey said the organization continues to work with local governments, conservation organizations, landowners and statewide agencies to detect, manage and prevent the spread of invasive species while protecting the natural resources that define Northern Michigan.
More information is available at www.northcountryinvasives.org or by calling NCCISMA at 231-429-5072.