Willow Springs
​Round Barn Featured

Wild Parsnip - an invasive problem

Central Wisconsin is experiencing increasing problems with Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa). Wild parsnip is an invasive plant. It grows in sunny areas: fence rows, roadsides, uncultivated fields, meadows, woods edges, pastures, prairies and restorations. It adapts to almost any open upland habitat and will push out native plants.

Wild Parsnip presents a very significant danger because contact with the plant's sap causes a painful, blistering skin rash.  As blisters heal, a reddish-brown discoloration  marks the site. These marks can persist for months to several years

Getting rid of wild parsnip on your property can be challenging, but is important to your safety and the health of our ecosystem. To help you deal with this invasive and dangerous plant, Portage County Extension has an area of their website dedicated to identifying and removing wild parsnip. Learn more at Wild Parsnip ID & Control. Or visit the DNR Wild Parsnip page. 

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Mailbox Guidelines

Spring, summer, and fall are perfect times to maintain or install mail boxes. Some residents may have received a notice from their mail carrier that their mailbox needs repair. If repairs are not made within the specified time frame on the notice, you may end up losing your delivery service and having to make a trip to the post office to retrieve your mail.

To make sure your mailbox is in good condition and meets postal requirements, check out the Mailbox Installation Guidelines. This guide will help you meet postal regulations and provide tips to keep your mailbox, mail carrier, and motorists safe. 

Regional Internet Speed Testing Initiative

Marathon County and the Northcentral Regional Planning Commission needs your help in gathering information for broadband initiative research and future funding of broadband.

Internet service providers may have maps of service areas, but they can be incomplete or may not accurately reflect the actual internet speeds you receive. As a result communities that need broadband funding could miss out on these much needed internet improvements. The goal of this project is to create an accurate regional map of where internet service is and is not available in Central Wisconsin and what internet speeds are received. 

Take this quick and easy speed test today to help provide current information on internet service and speed in Central Wisconsin. Then share this information with your friends and neighbors and help ensure that an accurate map of internet service speeds is available.

If you don't have internet service at your home or business address due to no service being available or other barriers, please call
​715-261-1404 to report the address.  

Click the link below or copy and paste the address into your browser to access the speed test.
www.ncwrpc.org/ncwrpc2021/broadband-speed-test/

Open the file below for more information on the Internet Speed Test.
Internet Speed Test Directions

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Maine faces the brokaw challenges

The Village of Maine was featured in a Wausau Pilot & Review article on December 29, 2020. Reporter Peter Cameron summarized the creative teamwork and strategies that made the Maine/Brokaw merger work to the advantage of citizens of both villages without raising taxes for residents. 

Check out this informative article at:
https://wausaupilotandreview.com/2020/12/29/how-teamwork-ingenuity-and-legal-strategy-solved-the-brokaw-problem/

Village of Maine Update

Check back soon for the current issue of the Village of Maine Update!