Jennifer Glad, executive director of Golden Sands Resource Conservation and Development Council, told the Portage County Land and Water Conservation Committee that her nonprofit is expanding local work on invasive species affecting wildlife, forests, water and agriculture.

"Alright. Thanks so much for inviting us here, putting us on the agenda to talk about invasive species in Portage County. My name is Jennifer Glad. I'm the executive director of Golden Sands Resource Conservation and Development Council or Golden Sands RC and D," Glad said, describing Golden Sands as "an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization."

The Central Wisconsin Invasives Partnership — a cooperative invasive species management area, or CISMA, for which Golden Sands is fiscal sponsor — coordinates terrestrial invasive‑species work across eight counties including Portage, Jacob Flork, a terrestrial invasive‑species coordinator, said. "I coordinate a CISMA," Flork said, and noted the group’s focus on species such as buckthorn, honeysuckle and garlic mustard.

Why it matters: invasive plants and aquatic pests can reduce native biodiversity, complicate forest and agricultural management and affect lake recreation and water quality. Golden Sands’ presenters framed their local work as a mix of education, small state grants, partner projects and fee‑for‑service contracts that aim to provide sustained capacity.

Key program details presented
- Grant support and scale: Flork described the Wisconsin DNR weed management area grants used by CISMA groups (annual awards up to about $15,000) for local projects and education. Chris Hamrila, Golden Sands’ aquatic invasive‑species coordinator, said Portage County’s LMPN (Lake Monitoring and Protection Network) allocation is $13,955.24 per year for outreach and education; by combining county allocations across partners Golden Sands helps maintain a roughly $150,000 annual regional program that funds year‑round staff.
- Local projects: Golden Sands said a 2023 two‑year grant with the North Central Conservancy Trust supported inventory, control and education on trust lands adjacent to Buchholt Park and on private easements (presentation referred to roughly five acres owned by the trust and more than 100 acres across private easements worked on). The group also runs two demonstration forests in Portage County and supports volunteer events such as a garlic‑mustard pull scheduled for June 6 in Portage County.
- Education and partners: presenters listed UW–Stevens Point, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (an affiliate employee was identified on some projects), local lake associations and conservation groups among partners. Hamrila highlighted a classroom program taught by a designated educator (Amanda) and said she reached 75 students in Portage County this school year before funding ran out.
- Fee‑for‑service work: Golden Sands staff said grant rules can limit where grant funds may be used (for example, some state funds cannot pay for work on state university property), so the organization offers paid contracts to serve private landowners and local entities; staff noted both terrestrial herbicide application and aquatic plant survey services as examples.

Committee members received printed materials on county activities and outreach. Golden Sands presenters left contact information and said they would remain available for follow‑up questions and local coordination.

The presentation did not ask the committee for formal action but outlined existing and potential project funding sources and invited collaboration.