Taylor County LCD raises beetles to control invasive plant

The Taylor County Land and Conservation Department is raising galerucella beetles in an effort to manage purple loosestrife, an invasive plant species found in lake areas.

At the Taylor County Land Conservation Committee meeting on June 4, Chris Hamerla, regional aquatic species coordinator from Golden Sands RC& D, explained the current purple loosestrife situation and how beetles will address the problem. He said, “When purple loosestrife gets into a wetland, it grows taller and more abundantly than our native plants. We can do biocontrol with little beetles that eat purple loosestrife. They don’t kill it, they just manage it to get it smaller so the other plants can compete without having to use herbicides, without having to do manual labor besides what we do to raise the beetles.”

Taylor County LCD Conservationist Brent Tessmer assured the committee that the galerucella beetles being raised to keep the purple loosestrife population under control are not a type of beetle that will enter homes or cause issues of that nature.

Next, the committee voted to maintain the Drinking Water Testing Program rates at $40 per package for residents in 2024. The county offers two testing packages to residents: the first is a homeowners package that tests for bacteria and nitrates, and the second is a metals test. The county subsidizes the total cost of these tests, paying $28 toward each homeowners test and $20 for a metals test. Tessmer estimated the cost of providing the tests to the county will be $5,200, which comes in under the budget of $6,000. The committee plans to use the surplus money in future years to maintain the $40 price to residents or minimize cost increases.

Moving along, Tessmer recapped the Taylor County LCD’s annual tree sale, saying profits were up from last year. The trees sold are native to the area and come in bundles of 25. Tessmer said, “It’s a good, cheap way for people to get some quality trees and shrubs to plant out in the county.”

Regarding community outreach, Taylor County LCD Engineering Technician Klayton Kree said he and Tessmer helped with a 3rd grade school forest event. Medford 5th graders participated in the annual “buckthorn bash” along the river walk in Medford, cutting the invasive plant. Additionally, Taylor County LCD Assistant County Conservationist Pam Holz reported that she has done three education programs since the last meeting for a total of 230 students. The committee expressed interest in continuing community engagement activities.

In other business, committee member Karen Cummings asked about managing the growth of wild rice at Miller Dam. She said, “Every year wild rice gets more and more abundant.”

Hamerla responded, “Most of the time wild rice is left alone. It’s a native plant, just very happy where it’s at. It has invasive tendencies and grows abundantly.”

He later explained that statewide wild rice growth is trending downward, saying, “Overall, wild rice is kind of a concern. If you look at lakes that have been traditional ricing areas, they are shrinking. For wildlife, rice is a tremendous habitat.”