Marsha Watland was honored, receiving the Carol Mortensen Invasive Species Award for Individual Achievement presented at the Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference in La Crosse, Wis., on Oct. 30.
This award from the Minnesota Invasive Species Advisory Council recognizes the contributions of an individual or team devoted to managing invasive species. It is presented in honor of Carol Mortensen, a pioneer on invasive species work in Minnesota.
Watland, with the Becker Soil and Water Conservation District, established one of the first Cooperative Weed Management Areas in Minnesota, obtaining funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources beginning in 2007.
Her exemplar efforts have sustained invasive weed management in NW Minnesota, hosting tours, and conducting numerous education programs and effective media campaigns. She also developed innovative invasive weed prevention, mapping and management programs in Becker County.
Watland implemented one of the first gravel pit certification programs in 2009. She inventoried invasive species in Becker County, and then developed control programs for those infestations.
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She has improved invasive species awareness, management and control through team building efforts with government agencies, non-profit organizations, and the public.
"Marsha is very interested in utilizing the most beneficial invasive management tools so she invests time in learning the latest methods and research recommendations. Combining this interest with her hard work and congenial approach to working with everyone from researchers and agency personnel to private landowners, the result is a very successful invasive species management program," stated Monika Chandler, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, in her nomination letter.
The Minnesota Invasive Species Advisory Council congratulates Watland on her achievements.
