The Department of Natural Resources is battling an invasive plant growing near Blue Mounds in an attempt to save an important part of Wisconsin heritage.
And some of those behind the fight are the same people who planted the enemy there in the first place, WISC-TV reported.
In the 1970s and '80s, the Department of Transportation and the DNR were among the agencies planting the purple-flowered crown vetch plant. A native of Europe, the thick, mat-like plant was being used as a groundcover to stop roadside erosion.
But at the time the crown vetch was planted, no one knew how aggressive it would become, spreading like a blanket out from the roadways to the prairies, snuffing out plant life in its path.
Now, the DNR is joining forces with a broad spectrum of partners, from the federal government, right down to individual landowners, in an attempt to save the remaining 3,000 acres of prairie.
"Well, the tall grass prairie like this and the oak savannah is among the most imperiled communities that we have in the entire Midwest -- in the continent, actually. We only have one-tenth of 1 percent left of what we originally had," said Cathy Bleser, an environmental specialist with the Wisconsin DNR.
The prairies are home to about 800 plant species, 30 birds and an unknown number of insects.
"A group of us decided we have to do something here; otherwise, we're going to lose everything," said Gary Birch, a biologist with the Wisconsin DOT.
Crews have already used mowers to knock the plant down. In September, a herbicide will be used in an attempt to kill off the crown vetch.
The plan should work on large patches, but the dilemma occurs on prairies themselves where crown vetch is now co-mingling with the cone flowers and black-eyed susans.
"It's woven into the matrix of the whole prairie itself. How do we treat that? (Those are) going to be difficult questions to ask," Birch said.
Lessons learned on the 120 test acres near Blue Mounds will be put to use in other areas where the plant is threatening other tall grass prairies.
"We're going to learn a lot this year and next, what it's going to take to really start treating this plant seriously. This is just the beginning for us," Bleser said.Channel 3000
