Midwest Aquatic Plant Management Society Conference

From 2018-2020, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and the Fort Custer Recreation Area (FCRA) engaged with Kieser & Associates, LLC (K&A) on a project to enhance FCRA lakes by controlling invasive aquatic species (AIS). Three previously untreated Fort Custer lakes – Eagle Lake, Whitford-Lawler Lake, and Jackson Hole Lake – were addressed by this three-year project. Funding was provided as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, the Enbridge compensation for injuries to the Kalamazoo River related to 2010 discharges. Objectives for the project included assessing the presence of AIS, developing a management strategy for AIS control, developing an AIS educational outreach program, and monitoring AIS and native species conditions before and after management actions. Chemical treatments of Eurasian watermilfoil showed success throughout the project, with statistically significant differences in the plant community being observed before and after treatments and year-to-year. These treatments resulted in making available over 40 acres of nearshore fish habitat that were surveyed to contain high amounts of coarse woody debris overrun by AIS. Alternative methods of AIS control were also tested, particularly that of weevil biocontrols for Eurasian watermilfoil, but these methods did not result in statistically significant population differences. The result of the project is a blueprint for AIS management and monitoring methods for lakes that have seen their ecosystem value decline over time.