AIS Activities on the Chain this Summer

Weeds are the topic of many of our members this summer. 

Staying true to our commitment as an Association and to our members, we continue to educate and treat in the areas where we are allowed.  Our latest update below shows dates and maps of both mechanical harvesting and chemical treatments.  These areas are determined by the DNR and the permits we were able to secure, along with our budget and also areas in which are used as navigational routes.  For maps of these treatment areas, go to the Projects page.

Mechanical Harvesting 2024

Date	Lake	Vendor	Harvest
May and June 2024	Long	WeedsUp	7 acres of curly-leaf pondweed totaling 95 cubic yards or approximately 10 dump truck loads
May and June 2024	Becker	WeedsUp	2 acres of curly-leaf pondweed totaling 40 cubic yards or approximately 4 dump truck loads
May and June 2024	Great Northern	WeedsUp	8 acres of curly-leaf pondweed totaling 115 cubic yards or approximately 12 dump truck loads

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Chemical Treatments 2024

Date	Lake	Applicator	Chemical	Target
4/24/2024	Koetter  8 acres	Limnopro	Flumioxazin	Curly-leaf pondweed
4/24/2024	Zumwalde  9 acres	Limnopro	Flumioxazin	Curly-leaf pondweed
4/30/2024	Knaus  11 acres around Sand Bar	Tigris	Flumioxazin	Curly-leaf pondweed
Week of July 29	Zumwalde  9 acres	Limnopro	2,4D	Hybrid watermilfoil
Week of July 29	Koetter  26.3 acres	Limnopro	2,4D	Hybrid watermilfoil
Week of July 29	Great Northern  Navigational channels totaling 13.66 acres	Limnopro	Diquat	All plants
Week of July 29	Knaus  Navigational channels totaling 7.39 acres	Limnopro	Diquat	All plants
Week of July 29	Krays Navigational channels totaling 8.85 acres	Limnopro	Diquat	All plants
Week of July 29	East Navigational channel totaling .5 acres	Limnopro	Diquat	All plants
Week of July 29	Horseshoe Navigational channel totaling .2 acres	Limnopro	Diquat	All plants

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See the latest Lake Stewards!

Congratulations to our latest Lake Steward family...the Juelfs! The Juelfs applied for Lake Steward status for their property on Bolfing Lake and it qualified!

Have you been thinking about taking the Lake Steward quiz but aren't sure if your property will qualify?

If so, we encourage you to take the quiz! Several homeowners who are interested in learning more about native buffers and other shoreline 'best practices' have done so, which results in an opportunity to meet with an SRCLA Land Use committee member to see what would be required to have their parcel qualify for the program. And we can connect you with county professionals at the Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) that will draw up custom plans to meet your needs. Subsidies are available that can cover up to 90% of the cost, too!

Take the quiz today!

Water Quality monitoring time!

Allison and Ali from the Sauk River Watershed District are out on the chain with our water quality team: Jamie, Gary, and Wayne.

How Well Do you Know Minnesota? Part 2

There are so many water quality issues for which there is no simple solution. But the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species has a simple solution - if everyone thoroughly Cleaned, Drained and Dried their boats and water related equipment after each use, and then inspected it prior to each use in a new water body, AIS would not spread. This is why education is the cornerstone of all efforts to protect our lakes and rivers from aquatic invasive species."~Jeff Forester, Executive Director, Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates.

An update on weed control.

Thank you to all who attended the Annual Meeting and were part of the discussion on how we can band together to enjoy the lakes as we know them, while also battling the weed issue present from many factors. 

Attached you'll see an assessment from our partners at Limnpro, where they applied a couple of different rates of 2, 4D to treat HWM along with ProcellaCOR. The assessment shows that 2, 4D worked, so we will move ahead with looking at the cost of 2,4D vs ProcellaCOR in treating the areas approved on Cedar Island and Zumwalde.

This type of research is running in parallel to the harvesting in the areas that we've shared recently, including Becker Lake and Zumwalde. 

MPR Article

Here’s a great article from MPR News on the plans to restore wetlands and native prairie that had been farmed, which will help protect and improve the water quality of the Sauk River and chain of lakes. Click here for the full article.

Be a Hero Transport Zero - Drain Livewell

Fight the spread of aquatic invaders. Be a hero, transport zero. Drain all water from your watercraft before leaving the lake access to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species.