Lakes
- Eurasian Watermilfoil Control Programs
- Curly-leaf Pondweed Control Programs
- Lake Studies and Management Plans
- Aquatic Plant and Habitat Surveys
- Fishery Surveys, Fish Scale Aging
- Water Quality Monitoring
- Grant Writing, Permitting Assistance
Eurasian Watermilfoil Control Programs
What is it?
Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) is an exotic submergent aquatic plant originally from Europe and Asia. It is an aggressive, rapidly growing plant that displaces native plants and clogs waterways. Eurasian watermilfoil poses serious threats to the ecological health and recreational value of lakes. Found in scattered areas throughout the U.S., the plant has recently invaded lakes in Wisconsin.
Threats to recreation:
Eurasian watermilfoil can grow to the surface in waters as deep as 20 feet. When mature, the plant forms a dense surface mat or canopy that may be thick enough for birds to walk on. Boating, swimming and fishing activities are often inhibited by this mass of vegetation.
Threats to lake ecology:
Due to its aggressive early-season growth, Eurasian watermilfoil displaces nearly all native submergent plant species. Studies have shown that this reduced plant diversity results in a reduced diversity of invertebrates and other organisms that fish feed upon.
Threats to fisheries:
The extremely dense plant beds formed by Eurasian watermilfoil provide excellent cover for juvenile panfish - to the point where they are virtually inaccessible to predator fish. This typically results in overabundant, stunted populations of panfish. Correspondingly, growth rates of predator fish such as largemouth bass and northern pike are reduced.
Water quality impacts:
Stagnant, oxygen-depleted conditions are often found in association with dense beds of Eurasian watermilfoil. The sudden nutrient release caused by the late-season die back of massive plant beds may also cause nuisance algae blooms.
Economic impacts:
Millions of dollars are spent annually to control Eurasian watermilfoil. Left unchecked however, the loss of real estate values and the losses to tourism and recreation-based industries would be far greater.
Management:
Our Biologists have helped more than 50 lake management organizations
throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan to implement effective Eurasian watermilfoil management
programs. We believe that a successful milfoil management program requires proper planning.
Our first step is to collect baseline data on the aquatic plant community. We plot, measure and
map milfoil beds using GPS technology. Next, we identify lake-specific concerns and discuss management
alternatives with the lake group. Survey data and public input is then incorporated into a long-term
management plan.
While many different tools have been employed for controlling Eurasian watermilfoil, the most successful strategy for providing long-term control has proven to be treatment with granular 2,4-D herbicide. 2,4-D treatments are economical, effective and have few negative environmental impacts. In order to be effective in providing long-term control, 2,4-D herbicide must be thoroughly and accurately applied to all Eurasian watermilfoil in the lake. Otherwise untreated milfoil will quickly repopulate the lake. This is why Cason & Associates' certified and insured herbicide applicators work diligently to ensure that all Eurasian watermilfoil is identified and treated.
While there are no magic solutions to Eurasian watermilfoil problems, long-term success can be achieved once milfoil has been effectively controlled through regular lake monitoring and timely spot treatment of any milfoil regrowth. Give us a call today to discuss a Eurasian watermilfoil monitoring or control program for your lake!
Curly-leaf Pondweed Control Programs
What is it?
Curly-leaf Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) is an exotic submergent aquatic plant native to streams in Europe and Asia. It was first documented in Wisconsin in 1905, and is now found throughout much of the U.S. Unique growth characteristics allow curly-leaf pondweed to have a competitive advantage over native plants. While not as aggressive as Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed can achieve nuisance densities that impede recreation, threaten lake ecology and decrease water quality.
A unique life-cycle:
Curly-leaf pondweed begins growing in late fall and will grow under
the ice. By spring, the plant will have a head start over native species. By early summer, curly-leaf
pondweed often forms dense mats that reach the surface. At this stage, the plants have formed a vegetative
reproductive structure called a turion. By late summer, usually August, adult plants die-off and decay,
leaving behind the turions. When waters cool again in fall, these turions germinate - repeating the life-cycle.
Threats to lake ecology:
One benefit of curly-leaf pondweed is that it provides winter cover for fish. However, its early-season growth gives it a competitive advantage that often causes it to displace important native plants. A late-summer die-off then, can lead to a sudden loss of habitat for fish and invertebrates.
Threats to recreation:
Dense beds of curly-leaf pondweed can clog boating lanes and inhibit traditional recreational uses, such as swimming, fishing, and sailing. Even waters that historically had limited plant growth due to high turbidity may develop nuisance levels of curly-leaf pondweed. The plant's early-season growth often allows it to proliferate in lakes that may become too turbid for other species as the season progresses.
Threats to water quality:
Dense plant beds may lead to stagnation, sediment accumulation and oxygen depletion. The greatest water quality impact of curly-leaf pondweed however, is caused by the plant's massive die-off during the warmest time of year. The nutrient release from tons of rotting vegetation typically causes nuisance algae blooms and increased turbidity.
Management:
Herbicide treatments and mechanical harvesting are most often used to control the plant. However long-term control is difficult to achieve because turions survive and regenerate. Research conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) though, holds promise for providing long-term control of the plant. The ACOE recommends conducting early-season treatments - before turions form - using the herbicide endothall for up to three consecutive seasons. This allows the majority of turions in the lakebed to sprout, but treatments kill plants before new turions can grow. Cason & Associates biologists have found this to be an effective long-term strategy on lakes where all of the curly-leaf pondweed can be targeted. Call or email today for more information.
Lake Studies and Management Plans
Planning is essential to any effective lake management program. Education, communication, consensus-building, data
collection and analysis, and research of management alternatives are all components of effective management plans.
Our areas of lake planning expertise include: aquatic plant management, fishery management, water quality improvement,
water level management and habitat improvement. Our biologists will be happy to meet with your lake management organization
to discuss what we have to offer.
Aquatic Plant and Habitat Surveys
If you need information on your lake's aquatic plant community as part of a weed harvesting program, herbicide treatment
program, exotic plant monitoring program or simply to assess the ecological health of your lake, Cason & Associates has the
tools and expertise to get the job done. We use a reproducible point intercept survey method developed by the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources so that long-term changes can be accurately assessed and data can be readily compared from
lake to lake. We can also custom-tailor a survey method to collect more detailed information for challenging environments such
as lake shorelines, wetlands and boat channel complexes. Our GPS / GIS mapping technology allows us to accurately measure and
plot plant beds targeted for management as well.
In order to provide quality assurance, all of our biologists who conduct aquatic plant surveys have completed the Aquatic Plant Identification and Survey Methods Training course conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Fishery Surveys, Fish Scale Aging
Cason & Associates has the experience, technology and resources to provide you with a scientific assessment of the
fishery in your lake or pond. Seines and trap (fyke) nets are two tools we use to survey and manage lakes and ponds
from ¼ acre up to several hundred acres. Our biologists can utilize the information gathered in these surveys to prepare
a management plan that will provide you with the tools to restore or maintain a healthy fish community.
Basic surveys usually include collection of fish species composition, relative abundance, length frequencies and length-weight relationships. When multiple sampling efforts are made, population size and density can be estimated. It is also valuable to collect scale samples from fish to determine ages. From analysis of scale samples, length at age (growth rates), age composition (relative year class strength) and mortality (harvest rates) can be determined.
Water Quality Monitoring
Understanding the chemical, physical, and biological parameters of your lake are essential to developing an effective management strategy. Cason & Associates has the resources to test surface water, ground water and sediments. We commonly analyze the following parameters as part of our water quality monitoring services:
- Dissolved oxygen
- pH
- Secchi depth
- Total phosphorus
- Chlorophyll a
- Pesticide residue
- Fecal coliform
- Dissolved solids
- Suspended solids
- Volatile solids
- Hardness
- Alkalinity
- Ammonia
- Nitrates
- Nitrites
- Kjeldahl Nitrogen
Many other parameters can be analyzed by our network of State Certified laboratories. Please inquire for more information.
Grant Writing, Permitting Assistance
Successful programs also require financial resources. Cason & Associates' grant writing specialists work with municipalities and non-profit organizations, such as Lake Associations and Lake Districts, to procure cost-share funding from several government programs. Our grant writing experience includes Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) grants (Education and Prevention, Established Infestation, and Rapid Response), Lake Management Planning Grants and Lake Protection Grants. Our staff has successfully written over two million dollars in grants for our clients. Please feel free to call us to discuss how these grant programs may benefit your lake organization's project.
