ULAO CREEK NATURE PRESERVE- THE GATEWAY SITE

The Ulao Creek Partnership (UCP) joined with the Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department (OCPPD) to apply for and receive a grant from the Southeastern Wisconsin Invasive Species Consortium, Inc. (SEWISC). SEWISC funding is via the USEPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the U.S. Forest Service. The grant period is May 2022 to May 2024 for work to control non-native invasive species (NNIS) and restore native species at the 7-acre Ulao Creek Nature Preserve, previously known as the Gateway site, located adjacent to Ulao Creek on Gateway Drive south of Ulao Road (Highway 60 extended) and immediately east of Interstate 43. The grant is for $15,000 and requires a minimum in-kind cost share from UCP in the amount of $3,750 to complete the work. OCPPD staff are managing the grant for the UCP including coordinating work activities over the 2-year grant period and scheduling UCP board member/volunteer participation, including hiring conservation corps workers, and providing supplies and equipment. Non-native invasive species (NNIS) will be documented and controlled using best management practices (BMPs) with a focus on species known to be causing ecological degradation at the site including common buckthorn, phragmites, garlic mustard, purple loosestrife, and common and cut-leaved teasel and honeysuckle.