ST. PAUL and DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota Sea Grant and the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center at the University of Minnesota are launching the Minnesota Cattail Collaborative, a new project to help lakeshore groups and land managers use small-scale mechanical harvest to manage invasive cattails and restore native aquatic vegetation.
The collaborative builds on several years of Minnesota Sea Grant research into small-scale mechanical harvest of invasive narrowleaf and hybrid cattails. Research by Minnesota Sea Grant Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator Amy Schrank and her team has shown that this management approach can help restore native aquatic plants, increase dissolved oxygen in removal areas, and improve habitat for nearshore fish communities.
The Minnesota Cattail Collaborative will help participants put this research into practice at lakeshore sites across the state. Minnesota Sea Grant and MAISRC are currently recruiting participants who are interested in removing invasive cattails from lakeshore areas, restoring native vegetation, and collecting and sharing data from removal sites.
Eligible participants
Eligible participants may include lake associations, watershed districts, lake improvement districts, state park managers, local governments, and other organizations that can meet the project requirements. Minnesota Sea Grant and MAISRC welcome participation from a wide range of organizations.
Participant requirements
- Participants must have a management agency representative involved in the project or a management partner willing to provide guidance. This partner could be from a watershed district, soil and water conservation district, county park system, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or a similar agency or organization.
- Participants must be able to fund their own invasive cattail removal. Initial removal costs are likely to range from $3,000 to $10,000. Participants should also plan for any annual maintenance needed to maintain cattail openings and for data collection materials, estimated at $500 to $3,500.
- Participants must have access to an appropriate lakeshore area for cattail removal and restoration and must obtain a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources permit for the removal work.
- Participants will also need to recruit volunteers or staff members who can collect data for at least one to three days per year.
Minnesota Sea Grant and MAISRC will coordinate project participants and help connect them with management partners, as needed. The project team will also assist participants with selecting removal sites and planning removal work, provide procedures for invasive cattail removal, data collection, and uploading data to the project database, and offer information, answers to questions, and general project support.
Minnesota Sea Grant and MAISRC will also compile and analyze removal data and share results with the broader community.
Project timeline
- Summer 2026: Participants will collect pre-removal data.
- Fall 2026: Participants will remove invasive cattails at their selected site.
- Summer 2027 and beyond: Participants will collect post-removal data and upload it to the Minnesota Sea Grant and MAISRC database.
- Fall 2027 and beyond: Participants will complete maintenance at cattail removal sites, as needed.
Groups interested in participating in the Minnesota Cattail Collaborative should complete the interest form.
Minnesota Sea Grant is a system program of the University of Minnesota and one of 34 federal-university Sea Grant partnerships across the country supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Great Lakes and coastal states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, outreach, communication, education and technology transfer.
Find this and all past Minnesota Sea Grant news releases on our website.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- Cattail Collaborative interest form
- Cattail Collaborative project
- Invasive Cattail-Dominated Shorelines project
CONTACT:
- Cattail Collaborative project team, [email protected]
- Claire Rude, Research Fellow and Cattail Collaborative Project Manager, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
- Amy Schrank, Associate Program Director, Extension Program Leader and Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Educator, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth, [email protected].
- Marie Thoms, Associate Program Director, Communications Director, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth. [email protected].