Winona Count Government Center 177 Main Street, Winona, MN 55987

(507) 457-6547

Press Release
Contact: Anne Morse Winona County Sustainability Coordinator Phone: (507) 457-6468
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEE THE SILENT STRANGLER & LEARN ABOUT THE ORIENTAL BITTERSWEET KILLING OUR FORESTS
WINONA, MN, OCTOBER 17, 2013 Winona County will be hosting tours on Wed. October 23rd and Sat. Oct 26th, of trees being overrun by Oriental Bittersweet. This extremely invasive woody vine has already toppled trees in Winona County, and unless controlled, can quickly turn our woodlands into impenetrable thickets, impassable to hunters and hikers. The Invasive Bittersweet tours are sponsored by the Winona Invasive Species Working Group, a multi-agency working group of state and local officials that has been meeting in Winona since 2011. The tours are free and open to the public. Winona County is ground zero for the invasive Oriental Bittersweet in Minnesota, as home to the worst infestations in the state. Tour attendees will be able to view Oriental Bittersweet side-by-side with American Bittersweet, the species native to the U.S. American Bittersweet is not invasive and does not damage our forests. According to Monika Chandler of the Mn Dept. of Agriculture, It is still possible, that working together with landowners, this invasive species can be controlled in the Winona area before its too late. Oriental Bittersweet eradication techniques will also be discussed. The one hour tours will take place at Stone Point Park on Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 6:30 pm, and on Saturday, October 26 th, from 10:00 11:00 am. Hiking attire is recommended. Stone Point Park is accessed via Stone Point Road, which; if driving from Winona, is a left turn off of US Highway 43 above the quarry and before the top of the hill. The meeting location can also be found at
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