Members of FFA remove loosestrife from Refuge. - USFWS photo by Mary Stefanski

Members of the Cochrane-Fountain City Future Farmers of America (FFA) organization worked with staff from the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge - Winona District to pull purple loosestrife from newly created islands.

The goal was to remove flowering loosestrife plants from three islands built during the summers of 2005-2006 through the Environmental Management Program (EMP).

These islands are located in the Spring Lake area of Pool 5, near Buffalo City, Wisconsin.

The loosestrife was pulled from these islands because it was relatively sparse and young (plants were less than two years old). In total, more than 30 people spent the morning pulling more than 70 construction size garbage bags worth of loosestrife off the islands.

The FFA chapter also rears beetles for loosestrife control and, after this experience, they will raise more to release on the islands.