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Last year Manitowish Waters was unable to obtain a State grant for monitoring invasive species in our Chain, but we do have grant dollars for an escalated effort this summer. Lakes and rivers at special risk are those where boats enter the Chain from areas already affected by Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS). Our Chain has five public boat landings and hosts a number of fishing tournaments with out-of-the-area participants. We’ve been lucky so far, but we can’t count on AIS not happening here. The Eagle River and Minocqua Chains now spend thousands of dollars trying to eradicate invasives. We hope you’ll respond by attending one of several training workshops and by making it your business to check your shorelines for any sign of Eurasian milfoil and other invasives. This year’s initiative is a combined effort of the Manitowish Waters Lakes Assn., the Town of Manitowish Waters, the North Lakeland Discovery Center, and the Town of Lac du Flambeau. It is headquartered at the Discovery Center. Colin Brainard is the Aquatic Invasives Species Coordinator. You can reach him either at AIS@discoverycenter.net, or at (715) 543-2085. Volunteering can be as simple as checking your own shoreline when you’re at your MW home and when you’re boating by looking around for any suspicious-looking weeds. We’re required under the grant to conduct 175 hours of boat landing monitoring, so another way to help is to spend a couple of hours a week at a local public boat landing inspecting boats before they go into the water. Boaters are well aware of the rules and are cooperating with these inspections. One more way to be part of this intensified effort is to attend one of the upcoming workshops. Here is a list: Sat., June 12, 9:30-11:30am – learn how to inspect watercraft Thurs.,June 17, 9-11:30am - learn how to identify native and non-native plants Wed., June 23, 10am-Noon - learn how to spot invasives in your water-body Thurs., July 22, 1-4pm - take a pontoon boat tour to find out about threats to the Chain Wed. Aug. 4, 8am-4pm - an intensive course in the limnology & chemistry of our lakes, designed to recruit 2 people for each lake & river in the Chain. Thurs., Aug.19, 1-4pm - a repeat of the July 22nd pontoon boat tour. Some of these workshops will take place at the Discovery Center – some at the Lac du Flambeau Town Hall. You’ll get that information when you contact Colin Brainard. Our Town and its Chain have been singled out by the State of Wisconsin for an “all-hands effort”. We know our Chain deserves that kind of attention and we need your help to accomplish this mission. Karen Dixon, President Manitowish Waters Lakes Assn. For more information about the MWLA or to join the MWLA: MWLA
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