MilFoil

PO Box 843 Houghton Lake, MI 48629
Phone: (989) 240-4126
email: lakeboard@mail.com

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North American Lake Management Society article	Michigan Environmental Science Board	Michigan Riparian
Act 451 The How, Who and Why for the Improvement Board		Aquatic Plant Control Research Program
Corps of Engineers Response of Wild Rice to Selected Aquatic Herbicides report	Michigan Lakes & Streams Association	Corps of Engineers Whole-Lake Applications of Sonar for Selective Control of Eurasian Watermilfoil report

Try these links to see what others are doing and saying about the Eurasian Watermilfoil problem and solutions!

Secretary Dick Pastula called the meeting to order at 10:00 am in the conference room at the Denton Township Hall and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Present were members Bob Gandolfi, Roman Pacella, Charles VanDuser and Denton Twp alternate Harland Boik. A quorum was present. Also present was Tony Groves from Progressive AE

Minutes of the previous meeting were distributed via email. No corrections being noted, they were unanimously approved.

Treasurer Bob Gandolfi reported that the final invoice for the year from Professional Lake Management for herbicide treatments has been paid in the amount of $45,809. With that payment, our total cost for herbicides this year is $131,926. Gandolfi moved, supported by Pacella to amend the budget to $132,000 for that line item. He also moved to increase the miscellaneous expense line item from $1,500 to $2,500. The motions passed unanimously.

Presented to the Board was a draft procedure for financial functions and oversight that was developed by Gandolfi and Pastula. The procedure delineates the functions of the Treasurer, Deputy Treasurer and Secretary in all financial transactions. After review, the Board moved unanimously to adopt Policy #5 “Procedure for financial functions and oversight”

The above chart summarizes the plant control activities on the lake during the past four years. Note that in 2002, 100% of the lake was treated with the herbicide fluridone which is sold under the trade name of “Sonar”. In 2005, only 2% of the lake needed treatment for control of invasive exotic species. The harvesting was done to control Curly Leaf Pond Weed.

In 2002, DEQ required that a contact herbicide “Reward” be used in the streams with a significant flow. The cost of the first year treatment was approximately $1.4 million dollars. In 2003, only 32 acres need treatment because of the phenomenal success of the prior year “Sonar” treatment. In 2005, 44 acres were treated, primarily in the main body of the lake.

In 2005, a whole lake aquatic plant survey was conducted in both June and August. This 912 specific point survey found evidence of the reappearance of milfoil in 14 locations that covered 445 acres. Most of the canals were treated, some multiple times with a contact herbicide. The systemic herbicide was used on 395 acres in the main body of the lake.

Weevil stocking has taken place in 2004 in the McKinley canal area and in 2005 in the “Flats” area, immediately west of the lake. The “Flats” area is state land managed by the DNR and has a significant infestation of Eurasian water milfoil. By treating this area, it is hoped that migration of the EWM into the lake can be stopped or greatly reduced. Additionally, the area is ideal for survival of the weevil during the winter months.

Groves also presented data on the extent that the native species have rebounded since the control of the EWM has been achieved. He cautioned that as we move away from the 2002 whole lake treatment, we will need to increase our survey and spot treatment activity. He stated that we did two whole lake surveys and eleven smaller surveys to check the effectiveness of various spot treatments during the year.

Last month Pastula restated the Board’s position that the HLIB will survey and treat all canals for exotic species be they Eurasian water milfoil or curly leaf pond weed. In response to that statement, the Board has received a petition from 15 property owners in the Channel Court (Lapham Marina area) Canal requesting that the policy be modified or revised. Additionally, a letter from Larry Wistinghausen of the Muskegon River canal system requested clarification as to the Board’s jurisdiction.

Tony Groves stated that the Board can treat invasive species where it is found in the lake and canal system under a very specific permit from the DEQ. To treat for native plants, additional regulation and limitations are imposed and must be separately approved by DEQ. He stated that if the canals were treated with a broad spectrum herbicide, there is a strong possibility that other problems could occur, algae blooms being one of the problems. He stated that we currently use a broad spectrum herbicide in the canals that controls the milfoil and it also impacts on near by native plants. Beyond that, he urged caution.

The HLIB is completing its five year plan. He stated that as we go forward in the development of modifications to the plan that would encompass the next five years, we could or should investigate all the possibilities regarding canals. The HLIB will be developing a modification to the plan within the next 9 months. When the Board moves to extend the plan, we will have to go through the same hearing process with public input that will define a specific plan, scope, costs and requires formal notification of all residents by first class mail. After that, the Board will have to meet again at a public meeting to adopt the next five year plan.

Copies of the petition and the Wistinghausen letter were distributed to all Board members.

A benefit of the liability insurance coverage the Board has obtained was a review of our contracting operations by their “risk management” representative. The two recommendations were to require insurance coverage from all our contractors and to require a “hold harmless” clause in all agreements. Pastula also expressed the need for notification of the HLIB on the date that work is to begin. This would allow for additional media coverage. The three items were forwarded to Tony Groves of Progressive AE for inclusion in all 2006 agreements.

Pastula reported that he and Denton Twp Supervisor Fred Chidester attended the September meeting in McBain. He made a short presentation on the activities of the HLIB and its successes. The major presentation at the meeting was related to the review of the best management practices in handling rain water in already developed areas. They toured the “raingarden” established at the High School.

Pastula has prepared a power point presentation covering major aspects of the HLIB’s operation during the first five years of its existence. The presentation runs approximately 20 minutes. The review was presented at the Army Corps/US EPA meeting here at Houghton Lake in 2005. Additionally, it was presented to the Denton, Lake, Markey and Roscommon township boards, the County Board of Commissioners and the Tourism Bureau, Lake Association and Merchants Association.

A special thanks to Russ Kidd, MSU Extension for making the projector available for use by the HLIB

The HLIB has again been asked to present at the ML&S conference that will be held in Big Rapids on April 28-30. The Board moved to cover the expenses of Pastula and up to two other board members to attend the conference.

The well authorized by the HLIB to be drilled at the DNR rearing ponds in Merritt has been installed. The total cost of the well was $4,400. It was the Boards expectation that the dependable water source will substantially increase the productivity of the ponds and increase the likelihood of regular stocking in Houghton Lake.

Roman Pacella reported that the lake level is approximately one inch below the targeted summer level. Currently all the gates in the dam are closed. The winter target level is 6 inches lower than the summer level. In mid October, the gates will be opened allowing more water to leave the lake. The removal of water in the fall helps prevent ice damage to the shore line.

Bob Fitzpatrick has completed the “Secchi” disk reading for the year. These reading are to document the water clarity and establish a base line of date. The information collected is also shared with the State’s Cooperative Lake Monitoring Program (CLMP). Currently, Houghton Lake’s clarity ranges between 6 and 8 feet.

THESE MINUTES ARE SUBJECT TO APPROVAL AT THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING OF THE HOUGHTON LAKE IMPROVEMENT BOARD SCHEDULED FOR 7 PM ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22 AT THE DENTON TOWNSHIP HALL.