Lab to Lakes: Minnesota Cattail Collaborative

Cattails are common wetland plants found along shorelines and in shallow water. They provide habitat and stabilize shorelines, but some cattail types can spread aggressively and form dense stands that crowd out native plants.

In Minnesota, there is concern about invasive and hybrid cattails in some lake and wetland systems. Understanding where cattails are spreading, and which types are present, helps resource managers choose effective restoration strategies. 

What you’ll learn here

• Why dense cattail stands can change nearshore habitat
• How small-scale removal may support native plant recovery, water quality, and fish habitat
• Why identifying cattail types (including hybrids) matters

What we’re doing 

Minnesota Sea Grant is building a network of demonstration cattail removal plots across Minnesota to test the practicality and effectiveness of a small-scale removal protocol in real-world conditions. 

Working with the Minnesota DNR, local watershed managers, tribal natural resources staff, lake associations, and other interested communities, we will distribute removal plots around 20–25 Minnesota lakes and support partners in collecting shared data. 

Project goal 

Move invasive cattail removal work from research to application by engaging participants in testing a practical removal protocol and using implementation sites to ask additional research questions. 

Objectives

• Establish cattail removal demonstration plots across approximately 20–25 Minnesota lakes with a statewide network of participants.
• Develop and implement a participatory science protocol to assess the effectiveness of small-scale cattail removal as a nearshore restoration strategy.
• Improve understanding of the degree of cattail invasion and hybridization in Minnesota lakes through genetic testing of removed cattails.
• Engage local communities in the importance of nearshore plant communities through signage, workshops, and field visits. 

Methodology
We will:

• Build a network of participating lake managers and community partners.
• Provide a sampling and data collection protocol for demonstration plot monitoring.
• Compile participant-collected data into a shared database to measure practicality and outcomes.
• Create outreach materials and host annual workshops to share lessons learned and support nearshore restoration. 

Why this matters 

Previous work indicates that invasive cattail removal can: 

• Increase native plant density and diversity
• Reconnect lake near-shore zones to open-water regions
• Potentially benefit fish communities 

This demonstration project will add to the cattail knowledge base by: 

• Testing whether a localized approach is effective and practical at diverse sites
• Measuring the effectiveness of participatory science data collection
• Improving understanding of cattail invasion and hybridization in Minnesota
• Expanding best-practice knowledge among state, tribal, and local lake partners and surrounding communities

This project will generate a combination of implementation tools, data products, educational resources, partner communications, evaluation materials, and long-term guidance that together support the transition from research to application, enable participatory science, and build shared capacity for nearshore habitat restoration across Minnesota.

Some of the following materials are available only to project participants. participating sites, managers, and partners. 

1. Implementation & Field Materials. Used by participating sites, managers, and partners. 

• Cattail removal protocol (step-by-step field guide)
• Demonstration plot installation guide
• Site selection criteria and guidance document
• Plot mapping and documentation instructions
• Safety and permitting guidance (including considerations for tribal, state, and local contexts)
• Field data collection forms (print and digital)
• Photo documentation guidance (what, when, how to photograph plots)
• Sampling and specimen handling instructions for genetic testing
• Chain-of-custody documentation for cattail samples
• Field season checklist for participating site
• End-of-season reporting template for sites 
• Data quality and consistency guidelines

2. Participatory Science & Data Products. Used by researchers, managers, and for internal and partner analysis 

• Participatory science monitoring protocol
• Data dictionary and variable definitions
• Database or data management structure (schema, templates)
• Metadata documentation
• Data submission instructions for partners Interim data summaries (annual or seasonal)
• Aggregated, anonymized dataset (if appropriate for sharing)
• Genetic testing summary reports (non-sensitive)
• Maps showing distribution of demonstration plots and invasion/hybridization patterns (generalized) 

3. Educational & Outreach Materials. Used by local communities, lake users, and the public. 

• Interpretive signage for demonstration sites
• Signage content explaining:
  • What cattails are
  • Why invasive/hybrid cattails matter
  • What the project is testing
• Project fact sheet (1–2 pages, plain language)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document
• Nearshore restoration explainer (plants, habitat, fish connections)
• Community workshop slide decks
• Workshop handouts or worksheets
• Field visit guides / walking tour scripts
• Short educational videos or animations
• Photo library for educational use
• Infographics explaining nearshore ecosystems and cattail impacts

Minnesota Sea Grant helps connect research, resource managers, and communities so that science can be used in practical decision-making. This project builds on existing research and focuses on what partners need next: a shared, field-tested approach that supports implementation, learning, and statewide coordination.

• Winter 2026: MNSG and MAISRC will recruit participants, host a virtual workshop for participants, and help participants find management partners
• Spring 2026: Participants will select sites for removal (with MNSG help as needed) and apply for an MNDNR permit for the cattail removal. MNSG and MAISRC will host a second, in-person workshop on data collection.
• Summer 2026: Participants will collect pre-cattail removal data Fall 2026: Participants will implement cattail removal
• Summer 2027 and continuing: Participants will collect post-removal data and upload to the MNSG/MAISRC database
• Fall 2027 and continuing: Participants will perform maintenance at cattail removal sites 

Who can participate: 

• Watershed managers
• Lake associations
• Tribal natural resource managers and staff
• Minnesota DNR and local/regional resource professionals
• Other interested communities working on nearshore restoration 

Who this is for: 

• Lakeshore residents and lake users
• Local decision-makers and community leaders
• Educators and volunteers interested in participatory science
• Anyone interested in habitat restoration and invasive species management 

What participants can expect:

• A clear removal-plot and monitoring protocol
• Support materials for consistent data collection
• Opportunities to share observations and learn from other sites
• Workshops and field engagement opportunities

The project team includes:

• Claire Rude, project manager, research fellow, University of Minnesota Sea Grant.
• Amy Schrank, principal investigator, associate extension professor, extension program leader, fisheries and aquaculture extension educator, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota.

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, as recommended by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) and the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).

• October 2025: The invasive cattails project team presented results to date at the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Research and Management Showcase and announced the launch of the Minnesota Cattail Collaborative project in collaboration with the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC).
• August 2025: The Invasive Cattails project team shared their project with lakeshore property owners at the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center Dockside Meet-and-Greet on Coon Lake.
• June 2025: The summer 2025 field season started with research fellow Claire Rude and two interns conducting fish sampling at Big Marine Lake.
• June 2025: Minnesota Sea Grant (MNSG) and Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center supported graduate student, Mike Tuma, presented on MNSG's Invasive Cattail-Dominated Shorelines project for his master’s thesis titled, “Investigating the effectiveness of small-scale mechanical harvesting of invasive Typha × glauca for nearshore vegetation management.”
• May 2025: Two Minnesota Sea Grant undergraduate interns, Alex Schwartz and Jackson Peterson, joined the summer 2025 cattail field team.