MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) congratulates the winners of the 2026 Invasive Species Action Awards, presented by the Wisconsin Invasive Species Council during Invasive Species Action Month. The governor-appointed Council advises the DNR and the state legislature on invasive species issues.

The council awards individuals and groups in professional and volunteer settings for their exemplary efforts to prevent the spread of or manage invasive species in Wisconsin. From aquatic settings and wetlands, to grasslands and forests – this year’s cohort covers many ecosystems and contributes to many different aspects of invasive species work with the ultimate goal of protecting Wisconsin’s natural areas, economy and people.

This year’s winners include:

Professional Individual Category

  • Matthew Puz: The Wisconsin DNR’s Wetland Invasive Plant Specialist, Puz is dedicated to aquatic invasive species in wetland systems. He provides critical review and direction for wetland control surface water grants, making sure projects are strategic, scientifically sound and positioned for long-term success. He wrote the state’s Phragmites Management Plan and has secured funding for a large, multi-basin Phragmites management project, providing leadership for an effort that will span about 150 acres.

Volunteer Individual Category

  • Dick Wieboldt: Wieboldt has spent 15 years with the Upper Sugar River Watershed Association, helping to manage a diverse wetland complex that is part of a larger grassland habitat restoration effort along the Sugar River. His contributions have included data collection for dragonfly monitoring; Water Action Volunteers work; invasive species monitoring; and, most of all, leadership during and facilitation of DNR-sponsored Restoration Workdays at the Sugar River Wetlands State Natural Area.
  • Herb Sharpless: Sharpless has been a committed volunteer with the State Natural Areas program since his first workday in 2012, and since has taken part in more than 100 workdays, putting in more than 600 hours in the Southern Kettle Moraine area in southeast Wisconsin. His work has included clearing fire breaks, brush-cutting sweet clover and wild parsnip, cutting acres of buckthorn, bundling and treating Phragmites, collecting seed and helping with prescribed burns. He has directly contributed to the transformation of numerous oak woodlands and oak openings.
  • Tom Rogalski: Rogalski has spent more than 25 years as a volunteer with the Upper Lower Webb Lake Association, in Burnett County. He has led the surveillance of the lakes’ health, working to control aquatic invasive species (AIS) and educating the public. He monitors the lakes’ water clarity, and his careful study of conditions has allowed for preparations in advance of new detections of AIS, such as his discovery of curly pond weed in 2025. He also has worked to detect and remove invasive purple loosestrife plants.
  • Terrie Pohjola: Pohjola works with the Knight Templar Club Reserve, a 2,400-acre reserve on Duck Lake in Langlade County, as Forestry Chairman and a Wisconsin Master Naturalist. She has created maps and set plans for invasive species management for the entire property. She recruits and assigns volunteers to specific areas, prompting them to take a sense of ownership over the management of that area. Under this plan, known garlic mustard populations have been eliminated or controlled, and tansy has been removed from sensitive areas. She works closely with the reserve’s Junior Naturalist Program.

Professional Group Category

  • Green Bay Conservation Corps: The 15 members of this conservation crew are not only willing to get their hands dirty, they’ve convinced others to join them. In 2025, the group treated 309 acres across the City of Green Bay, clearing 50,273 stumps of woody invasives in the winter and 7,774 gallons of herbaceous invasives in the summer. They burned enough buckthorn to create 17 barrels of biochar to feed native planting projects. The group also hosted volunteer events that engaged a total of 216 people.
  • Oconto County Land And Water Conservation Department: With the full support of their supervisors and board, Ken Dolata and Emily Schwartz have propelled the county’s European frog-bit (EFB) response team, conducting early detection surveys, “Clean Boats, Clean Waters” inspections, inventories and manual removal of more than 15,000 pounds of EFB. The invasive was first documented in Wisconsin in 2021, in Oconto County. Their efforts have helped to revive the habitat for migratory and nesting birds and increased recreational opportunities.
  • Sheri Denowski & Chuck Druckrey: Sheri and Chuck have championed the county’s response to the recently arrived invasive plant European frog-bit. Their extensive response efforts have led to the removal of more than 10,000 pounds of European frog-bit from Marinette County since starting work four years ago. Denowski and Druckrey have demonstrated unwavering commitment in managing this novel aquatic invasive species.

Volunteer Group Category

  • Newport Wilderness Society Invasive Species Volunteers: Based in Ellison Bay, Door County, Wisconsin’s oldest Friends group (est. 1985) provides financial and volunteer support to Newport State Park. The group has funded invasive species control work, organized park clean-up days and other volunteer work events to control invasives along the park’s 26 miles of trail, 16 campsites and 6.5 miles of shoreline. The group has trained 11 Master Naturalists since 2023, and its reach includes a roster of 138 volunteers.

Congratulations to this year’s award recipients for their dedication to the prevention, control and eradication of invasive species in Wisconsin. More information about invasive species and resources for helping to prevent their spread is available on the DNR’s website.