The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is treating cattails with herbicide using a helicopter on the Beaches, Florian and Twin Lakes wildlife management areas (WMA) in Kittson and Marshall counties.

The goal of the treatment is to control non-native, hybrid cattail to restore open water and create more diverse, native wetland vegetation.

Hybrid cattail is more aggressive than the native, broad-leaved cattail and can form monotypic (one species) stands in wetlands. These stands reduce wildlife habitat value, decrease species diversity and impede the flow of water in wetlands.

“We have seen positive results from previous treatments,” said Jason Wollin, Karlstad area wildlife supervisor. “Areas that were once dense hybrid cattail are now either open water or have more diverse native vegetation like sedges and rushes.”

Wollin added that previously treated areas have attracted waterfowl and other water birds and provideimproved access for waterfowl hunting.

Details on the treated WMAs, including maps, can be found by searching for the WMAs on the DNR’s WMA finder.