Rice/Pike Lake Curly Leaf Pond Weed Pull
From: Dave Hall, President Iron County Lakes and Rivers Alliance
Dear Iron County Lakes & Rivers Alliance (ICLRA) members and friends,
As many of you may recall, last winter the ICLRA hosted an event at the Great Northern to discuss creating a Management Plan for the Turtle River Watershed. While several topics were discussed, one of the items was the status of the curly leaf pondweed (CLP) which is the very destructive invasive species which has infested Rice Lake and is moving downstream, currently as far as Pike Lake. This weed was first identified in Rice Lake in 2013, and although several attempts have been made to control it, those have not been successful. Hence, concerned citizens from Rice Lake, Pike Lake, and members of this group (ICLRA) proceeded to organize volunteers for a major weed removal project that would address Rice Lake, as well as the Turtle River downstream to Pike Lake, and Pike Lake itself. During the course of planning, it was decided to treat Rice Lake, and the combined Turtle River/Pike Lake as two separate projects. Also facilitating the effort to identify all the locations of CLP, an outside firm (White Water Associates (WWA)) was used to perform a full survey of Pike lake and the Turtle River. Carol Warden of the University of Wisconsin did surveys on Rice Lake. This data is useful for both upfront identification as well as future year follow-ups to ensure we’re meeting our CLP control goals. A huge THANK YOU for all of the people that showed up and contributed in a variety of ways.
- On June 6/7, the organized Rice Lake project was carried out with our immediate goals for Rice Lake being;
- Remove as much weed biomass as possible from the large established plant colonies within Rice Lake.
- Pull all new “pioneer” plants as completely as possible.
- Verify we have a “process” that is effective for removing large masses of CLP.
- Note that Bob and Rita Kary, with the further help of volunteers continued to work on Rice Lake post 6/7
In regards to the waters of the Turtle River/Pike, we foresee that this stretch of water will need to play a very significant role in our hopes to stop the downstream spread of CLP – we hope to treat this stretch as our “line in the sand”. The rationale for this is that;
- The CLP spread is not yet extensive.
- The river is relatively easier to monitor and quickly find/remove new plant growth.
- With Pike Lake being deep, plants can only survive along the shoreline which again is easier to monitor/remove.
- Pike Lake provides a break in the river’s current and hence acts as a natural impediment for the seeds and asexual reproducing turions floating downstream.
The specific goals here was to;
- Scan all of Pike Lake and the River section using visual identification as well as the White Water Associates survey. A total of 5 separate CLP infestations were found on Pike Lake. All were pulled via either volunteers or WWA staff.
- “Clear” the river and Pike Lake as much as possible
So….What did we accomplish, and what did we learn ??
Although not perfect, this was a successful inaugural event because of what we accomplished, and learned.
- Our Accomplishments:
- We had a great turnout – 35 volunteers on Saturday, and 18 on Sunday showed up at Rice Lake. Approximately half of the people were from other lakes in the Turtle River Watershed which is encouraging. (See Action photos below!)
- 12 volunteers also participated at the Turtle River/Pike Lake location. Again, a diverse group of local lake volunteers, the 3-person Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department, and 4 non-Pike lake volunteers. The plant removal was carried out over 8 separate days.
- We pulled more than 200 cubic feet (over a ton) of weeds out of Rice, and with that an estimated 30 to 60 pounds of phosphates P2O5 (from lawn fertilizers, bad septic systems, agricultural runoff (often cranberry bogs here). These are key contributors to unnaturally high levels of phosphates in the water, and high levels of phosphates contribute to unnaturally high levels of natural and invasive plant growth. Limnologists say that the best way to fight invasive plants is to reduce phosphates in the water and soil.
- An additional 12 full garbage bags of CLP were pulled out of the Turtle River.
- A total of 5 separate CLP infestations were found on Pike Lake. All were pulled via either volunteers or WWA staff.
- We validated that we have a pretty good process whereas some individuals can focus on pulling weeds, some transporting weeds, and some providing food, logistics, etc.
- Our Learnings;
- CLP grows shockingly fast, and shockingly dense – hence the earlier we can begin pulling CLP, the better. This will be a focus for next yr.
- A group of volunteers can make a huge difference, in particular if they have the right tools.
- We found some of the larger, longer handle rakes can pull up significantly more weeds than the normal garden rakes. We also found that handling those rakes takes some amount of physical exertion and balance, and is really only effective in a row boat or bigger. Kayaks/Canoes simply don’t have the room to make these rakes effective. Kayaks/Canoes do great with finding new colonies etc.
- The window to safely remove CLP, without actually spreading the turions and seeds of the plant is quite short and changes every year depending on the weather. The period of time between A) the plant is big enough to find, and B) the maturation of the turion is probably 3 weeks or so.
There are probably things I’ve missed, but to me these were the big take aways.
The Path Forward:
- There is zero doubt that this organized weed identification / pulling effort needs to be an annual event if we are to keep the CLP under control, and out of the downstream lakes / Turtle Flambeau Flowage.
- Create and get approval for the Turtle River Watershed Management Plan;
- This would likely enable better funding options, reducing the financial burden on individual lakes and enabling us to fund the hiring of high school/college students, for example. As mentioned earlier, working with the larger rakes requires some amount of physical exertion and balance.
- This likely brings some heightened focus from the DNR staff, and potential access to expertise.
- Significantly increase the number of boats employing the longer dedicated weed pulling rakes.
- We will need to continue to reach out for volunteer help.
- Bring in some younger bodies to work the rakes.
- Although the Rice Lake Association will take the lead on organizing their event next year, they will continue to need additional volunteers and we foresee the ICLRA as being involved in that effort. The Pike Lake Association will also take the lead on Pike Lake, and may be self-sufficient regarding volunteer needs. But if not, the ICLRA will again assist.
- Strive for continued education on best practices regarding shoreline protection – leaving a natural wild buffer, don’t use lawn fertilizers, etc.
- Strive for stricter enforcement of septic system regulations – including penalties for those not having their septic systems checked/fixed.
As members of the ICLRA – we’ll keep you informed as to the progress on the management plan. Given the Covid crisis, it is highly unlikely we’ll be recommending any face-to-face meetings this year. In the meantime, please remember to always keep an eye out for the CLP (or any other invasive) while you’re spending time on the water, and please reach out to your friends and neighbors to get involved with us. Our absolutely best chance of maintaining/improving the water quality in the Turtle River Watershed is via community education and involvement and all of our cumulative voices further that cause.
Thank You!
Dave Hall
President Iron County Lakes and Rivers Alliance
