Curly Leaf Pondweed Treatment

Looks like Spring is finally back! Hopefully it will stick around this time. We were out on the Main Lakes on Wednesday May 4th to complete the Curly Leaf Pondweed treatment map. Thought it was cool, the sunshine allowed for great visibility. By the end of the day we had mapped the exact location of just under four acres of the nuisance exotic. The GPS/GIS map was packaged into a treatment map and submitted to our herbicide applicator, Norm Zion of Aquatic Nuisance Control. They will be out on the Main Lakes in a week or so (weather dependent) to administer the treatment just before the plants top out and begin to flower. The spring and fall treatment scheme appears to be successful. There has been a significant reduction in curly leaf biomass and locations from the 2004 season. We are making progress toward our goal of eradication. This invasive exotic is being targeted for eradication because it has the potential to have a tremendous negative impact on the delicate balance the native plants in the lake are trying to maintain. This delicate balance is critical to high water quality, clarity and overall health of the aquatic ecosystem.

More good news to report. While conducting the curly leaf survey, we observed multiple Golden Shiners. These shiners were planted last fall to bolster the lakes currently underdeveloped forage (baitfish) base. We are thrilled to see at least some of the minnows survived over the winter. This supports our belief that a breeding Golden Shiner population could be established in the lakes. Though we did not see any of the Fathead minnows planted this spring, we didn't expect to. These minnows tend to scatter quickly and are difficult to observe from the boat. Are hope is this "flightyness" will help them avoid being gobbled up by bass, pike, crappies, perch, etc before they get the chance to spawn. Later in the fall, traps will be set to determine if the Fatheads survived the summer and to see if they were able to reproduce (if juveniles are recovered).

Tom and I also had the opportunity to meet with Bill Hull, superintendent of the golf courses. Bill is committed to minimizing any potential negative ecological impacts the golf courses may be having on the lakes and the Little Muskegon River. Together we are designing a monitoring program that will identify any of these undesirable impact areas (if any do actually exist) so corrective actions can be taken. Working with Bill and his team, we are optimistic that we can maximize the aesthetic and biologic potential of the golf course water bodies. For example, we are interested in utilizing one or more of the golf course water bodies as a brood stock pond to raise minnows for stocking in the larger lakes. This could save the CLPOC thousands of dollars each season if one or more of the water bodies are determined to have the correct physical and biological properties. Some of the water bodies have great potential, but further investigations will be made as the season progresses.

Overall, the lakes appear to be in good condition. Withholding the Curly Leaf Pondweed, there has not been any other exotics observed to date! No Zebra muscles or Eurasian milfiol. This is great news for all of us who value boating, fishing and swimming on these beautiful lakes. We are hoping the aquatic vascular native plants in the lakes will wake up and take up available phosphorus in the water column before nuisance algae get the chance to bloom. So far this appears to be happening. Please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions or comments, just click the "comments" link at the lower righthand corner of the page to leave us a message. We truly look forward to hearing from you. Your Lake Managers, Joel and Tom