2023 Update

In 2023 several Eurasian watermilfoil plants were discovered at the City docks and were treated. Also, a few Purple loosestrife plants were observed for the first time at the unimproved launch site on Child Lake off County 5. We plan to watch this area in the future.

 No new infested waters were reported in Cass County as of September 11, 2023.

 The first 2 photos were taken on Woman Lake on the Northwest side of the lake near Brenton’s point after taking out docks and hoists in September.  As you can see they have become extremely invasive and you can no longer walk barefoot in the water because they cut your feet.  This has all happened since 2021 when the Woman Lake was designated as infested.

The 3rd photo was taken by one of our members on Girl Lake. These zebra mussels were collected on a zebra mussel settlement plate sampler on October 14th. They provide a good representation of ages by size. The smallest were likely produced this year and the larger ones are likely 1 to 2 years old. Girl Lake has been designated as an infested lake since zebra mussels were found in Woman Lake in 2021. Long Birch Lodge also reported finding zebra mussels in their harbor  on October 15th.

This is a zebra mussel found by Gordie Hess recently in Girl Lake. It was collected by a ZM settlement plate.

Zebra mussel settlement samplers are surfaces on which zebra mussels will settle after they complete their larval (“veliger”) stage.  This is used for early detection.

No Eurasian watermilfoil was observed at the City Docks this year and no treatment was necessary. However, a zebra mussel was found on a settlement plate in Girl Lake for the first time. Fortunately, Girl Lake is already listed as an infested lake.

AIS-Doc

2023-Acces-Site-Survey-CGWLAA-Report

Aquatic Invasive Species Watercraft Decontamination Stations.

Click on red circles for interactive map

Common and Invasive Submersed Aquatic Plants