AIS prevention efforts now directed by soil and water district

The Cook County Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program, funding and staff are transitioning to the Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).

According to county officials, the purpose of a resolution that passed during a meeting of the county board Dec. 3 is to transition the implementation and administration of the AIS master plan to the local soil and water conservation district.

A certainty under this transition is that funding for AIS prevention in Cook County will now fall under the supervision of the Cook County SWCD. What remains to be seen is who will work under the AIS plan and coordination efforts locally.

Amanda Weberg has been the AIS coordinator in Cook County in recent years. Weberg told WTIP she would like to remain the AIS coordinator, though under the new arrangement she would have to apply for the position through SWCD. Details of who will be the next AIS coordinator in Cook County are likely to be shared publicly in early 2020.

Weberg stopped by WTIP and spoke with Joe Friedrichs following the Dec. 3 meeting of the county board to look back on some of the accomplishments of the AIS prevention efforts in Cook County.