This letter from Brigid Reina and Rebecca Flesh appeared in the end-of-summer issue of the Madeline Island Gazette. It gives a wonderful description of their work over the summer.

“We never could have slayed this behemoth buckthorn without his expert chainsaw skills. Check out that stump! Who knew they even got so big? We estimate this bad boy to have been at least 120 years old.” Brigid Reina, Summer Intern

For 2015, the MIWP has hired two interns, Rebecca Flesh and Brigid Reina, well trained and articulate Northland College students whose jobs are to act as a resource to island landowners; to identify problem areas; to publicize their program and availability; and to do the actual cutting and treatment. While these interns technically are employed by the Town of La Pointe, the MIWP provides their salaries in the form of grants and an outright gift of $10,000; we also provide supervision, aka the unstoppable Bonnie Matuseski, as well as lakeside housing.

Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve, the Town of La Pointe, and the Madeline Island Ferry Line have collaborated for the third summer in hiring summer interns to coordinate control of invasive plant species.

In 2013 MIWP and the Town of La Pointe jointly hired two invasive species interns (Ethan Rossing for 5 months, Stephen Thielking for two months). MIWP donated $10,000 outright, and $15,000 from a Wisconsin DNR grant, as well as housing for the interns and intern management.

The interns worked on mapping invasive species; cutting buckthorn and barberry; landowner involvement and education; and a five year plan.