AIS / Fisheries

Euroasian Milfoil

The lakes and rivers in the Township of Manitowish Waters offer many visitors and residents boating opportunities from our five public boat landings. We welcome recreationalists, but also recognize that they present the Chain with a risk of carrying aquatic invasive species (AIS) to our area on their boats from areas already affected. In 2010, curly leaf pondweed was found on Island Lake, and other aquatic invasive species are knocking on our door. AIS are invading the Northwoods waters and the costs of controlling these species are increasing every year.

This year's AIS initiative is a combined effort of the Manitowish Waters Lakes Association, the Town of Manitowish Waters, and the North Lakeland Discovery Center. The AIS Program is headquartered at the Discovery Center and coordinated by Anne Kretschmann, the Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator. You can reach her at anne@discoverycenter.net, or at (715) 543-2085. The Discovery Center has information packets available and will help you identify any potential invasive aquatic species that you find. Simply place them in a plastic zip lock bag, write down the location where you found it and bring it to the Discovery Center.

Early detection is the best prevention! Early detection is essential to preventing invasives from spreading as it is much more cost effective and easier to target new infestations before the species become established. We need your help in identifying where infestations occur in the area so that we can ‘nip them in the bud’!  Look for them when you are walking your shoreline, boating, fishing, or otherwise enjoying the lakes.

We especially urge everyone to learn to identify Public Enemy #1: Eurasian Water Milfoil. The Eagle River and Minocqua Chains now spend hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to control this invasive.

Species that have already been detected in our town include purple loosestrife, rusty crayfish, Chinese mystery snail, banded mystery snail, curly-leaf pondweed, and rainbow smelt.

Last summer, curly leaf pondweed was found in two locations on Island Lake (in the shallow bay in the northwest end of the lake just south of where the Spider Lake Channel comes in; and a few scattered plants in Rice Creek). Curly leaf pondweed has the potential to spread out of control to mat an area of a lake. The DNR is conducting a Point Intercept Survey this summer on Island Lake to identify all aquatic plants. After this a control plan will be drafted and implemented.

Volunteers are needed to look for additional locations of curly leaf pondweed and other aquatic invasive species in the entire chain this summer. We’ll be happy to train you. Just call or email us.

The Discovery Center also offers many informative programs focusing on AIS over the summer season including a Wisconsin Headwaters Invasive Species Partnership (WHIP) Workshop, Become a Steward of Our Northwoods’ Waters, Lake Captain Training and AIS Tour, Invasive Species Control Efforts: Purple Loosestrife Containment and Beetle Collecting Workshop, Lake Invaders Program, pontoon and canoe cruises, and a rusty crayfish boil. These programs are supported by money received from the Town of MW, for which we are very grateful. Additionally, the Vilas County Lakes Association is hosting “Celebrating Lakes Day” on June 17 in St. Germain, WI.

Aquatic invasives threaten our lakes and our property values. They are everyone’s problem. Please help us.