A handful of local students are the first in the state to use an invasive plant species education kit.

A grant helped UW-Stout develop the kit – and now, 17 seniors at Menomonie High School are putting it to the test.

"The program is designed to teach the students about forest ecology,” said Agri-Science teacher Jean D’Angelo. “Understanding how to identify plants."

"I think us being the guinea pigs -- it's a great experience,” added student Keith Kadinger.

Over the past weeks, the group of students has studied with students from UW-Stout.

"We've been informing the high school students on invasive plants and the threats they pose to our natural environment,” said UW-Stout student teacher Mark Baumgartner.

Knowledge they’re putting into action – by plucking out invasive plants in a nearby forest.

"Its primarily buck thorn and honeysuckle," Baumgartner said. “They really just take over. They kinda' go crazy."

"With the buck thorn, they have purple berries on them, so you just look for that and go and cut them down,” said Kadinger.

Once the students are done testing the invasive species kit it'll go through a final review process. Creators hope it'll eventually end up in classrooms around the area."

"We're gonna' get it in the hands of teachers we're hoping as soon as this coming Spring,” D’ Angelo said.

Giving high school students a deeper appreciation for the green around them.

"We made an awesome dent in pulling out the weeds here,” Kadinger said.

"The trees were a little heavy, but we made it through,” added student Danielle Keyes.

The Wisconsin DNR worked with the invasive species project team to create a forest management plan for the students. Once the kit makes it into more classrooms, the team will continue to monitor its effectiveness.