Newsletter: Issue 41
Message from the Board
A frequent question in regard to herbicide treatment of Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) is whether native aquatic plants are affected. Here is a copy of a 2017 DNR Point Intercept (PI ) survey.
Results of so-called Point Intercept surveys by the DNR vary from year to year since some of the native species are rare and might get missed since the points tested are 150 feet apart. There are also many native plants near the shore that may not be consistently counted (they count submersed plants and in August, the ones near shore may not be submersed at that time) . About five years ago the DNR surveyor noticed a long line of plants very near shore mixed in with the cat tails for about 800 feet along the southwest end of the east bay. They have a stem of purple flowers that rise about one foot above the water and broad arrow shaped leaves. They might be called Arrow Root. The DNR person was amazed to see so many since they are somewhat rare and highly prized in back yard water gardens. He said that if someone is caught pulling them up, there is a large fine.
Here are the historical results for submersed species including EWM from the 2017 report:
2010—19 (Eighteen natives plus EWM)
2015—26
2016—35
2017—29
The trend in Big Marine Lake has been more natives as the EWM and Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) have been killed. CLP was treated only once in about 2015. Treatment of CLP was planned to be repeated for about three years in a row, but was not because the first treatment worked so well.
Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM)
BMLA survey teams were on the lake in early June. They were not pleased to see a good deal of new EWM growth.
The tentative treatment need appears to be 30 to 35 acres as opposed to the forecast of 5 acres last fall. Blue Water Science also completed a survey which verified this shocking finding. As a result, we will be spending $15000 to $20000 more on treatment than initially anticipated for 2021. This displays not only the unpredictability of aquatic invasive species (AIS) but also the dire need for all lakeshore property owners and interested parties to assist financially.
EWM continues to grow and spread under the ice, which was especially a problem in 2020 since BLM was not snow covered until late December. That fact gave EWM a head start in the spring, a time in which time native aquatic vegetation is dormant. Excellent December ice skating translated to a lot of fun for EWM also. Mid-September to late December provided three months of EWM growth opportunity. In addition, excessive boat traffic last summer could have been a factor in chopping up EWM and producing more loose rootlets.
One BMLA survey team member was reminded by some heavy growth areas of a possible “lake legend” story from an acquaintance from another local lake having heavy EWM infestation. A dog in a fishing boat appeared to think that the EWM on the water surface was solid ground and stepped out of the boat, attempting to walk on the EWM. The dog became so ensnarled in the EWM that its master had to jump in to rescue his pet. In turn, the master had a very difficult time because he could not swim through the EWM. Luckily, he was wearing a life jacket. The fact is that surface EWM can become very dense and is rooted to the lake bottom, making it a tough surface obstacle to navigate through. Native vegetation can also form mats on the water surface. These mats, though, are typically broken-off pieces not rooted to the lake bottom and will break up or move when encountered when wading, swimming, or encountered with an outboard or oar.
Our Neighbors
Mark and Linda Marotzke have had the pleasure of living on BML for 22 years. They have been very active and helpful members of the BMLA Board since the beginning of the BMLA in 2009. Both were instrumental in organizing, managing, and conducting all the garage sale fundraisers the BMLA has held at the Vet’s Camp. In addition, Linda and Mark have spearheaded the Vintage Snowmobile events held for several years prior to the pandemic. Thanks much to Linda and Mark!
Mark and Linda very much enjoy life on BML. They live in a small house all by itself on the north shore of the east bay and have a daughter and grandkids on the west side of the lake. They also enjoy family time at their cabin where they hunt, snowmobile, and ride their dirt bikes. A new activity is recently acquired e-bikes—Watch for them as they ride the neighborhood roads.