Lake associations statewide are spending the Independence Day weekend educating boaters and other water enthusiasts about invasive species and the threat they pose to native fish and plant life.
A program at Berry Lake, located in Menominee and Oconto counties, on Friday morning drew about 40 people as officials talked about phragmites, eurasian milfoil and other invasive species.
“Berry Lake, right now, is in fairly good condition as far as the number of invasives. Our neighbors have more than we do,” said Brian Ewart, president of the Berry Lake Association Inc. “You never know when they’re going to appear because everybody is moving boats between all of the lakes.”
Ewart noted Berry Lake is in a “tough neighborhood” because of its close proximity to Shawano Lake, a major source of aquatic invasive species. Boaters often come from Lake Michigan, especially the Green Bay area, to Shawano Lake, and then to smaller lakes.
“It’s critically important that the public knows that when they bring their boat from Lake Michigan that they clean their boat off so we’re not bringing them to Berry Lake and then spreading them to Legend Lake,” Ewart said.
Doug Cox, environmental specialist for the Menominee Tribe, has interns working on Berry Lake, Legend Lake and other waterways that intersect with the reservation to find out where the invasive species have gathered. The tribe spent four years developing a plan that dealt with invasive species and started putting that plan to work in 2009.
The tribe is using geographical information services technology to map and identify gathering places for species so that it treats only the affected areas of a lake instead of using chemicals at random, which could impact native species as well as non-native.
“I would say we are making a dent,” Cox said. “Worst case with invasive species these days is control. Eradication, unfortunately in this day and age, is not in the vocabulary of invasive species. They’re here, and they’re here to stay. The best we can do is keep them from going anywhere else on the rez.”
Because eradication is not possible, population control is the key. That is why events such as the boat landing blitzes are so important, according to Amanda Strick, aquatic invasive species coordinator for Oconto County.
“Anything that’s invasive, it basically means it has an economical, ecological impact or can cause human harm,” Strick said. “It’s nice to be able to speak one-on-one with boaters and actually see what they’re doing (to address invasive species).”
Nearby Legend Lake has had relative success in OVERSET FOLLOWS:dealing with invasive species and keeping them in a smaller area, according to Wayne Towne, chairman for the Legend Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District. The lake is battling zebra mussels, eurasian milfoil and curly leaf pond weed.
The group has been fighting invasive species since 1999, and has been able to reduce eurasian milfoil from 650 acres of the lake to just 50 acres, Towne said.
“We’re probably going to be battling it forever, but our goal is to keep it in that 50 acres, because it spreads so fast and easily,” he said.
Boaters who transport aquatic invasive species in Wisconsin can be fined up $389.50 for a first offense, regardless of whether they were aware of it. After that, boaters could be fined $700 to $2,000 and spend six to nine months in jail.
For law enforcement, the effort is more reactive than proactive, according to Menominee County Sheriff Butch Summers. His department lacks the funding to conduct regular patrols of boat landings and is limited to answering calls when citizens find boats have suspicious looking vegetation or other marine life.
“Legend Lake has spotters to check the boats over, and if they see anything, then they give us a call to go over there,” Summers said.
Municipalities are having to get involved, as well. The town of Underhill is particularly vested in protecting Berry Lake within its boundaries, according to Peter Vorpahl, town chairman.
“The public utilizes the lake. I personally go fishing on it,” Vorpahl said. “If the lake becomes overgrown with invasives, it’s going to change the quality of the lake experience out here.”
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