Windigo Lake, Lake 27 and Hub Lake are currently Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) free. We as a lake association are working to keep it that way! The best way to prevent AIS is for boats coming into our lakes being clean and completely free of any weeds or water that could have come from another place. To that end, we do hire a boat landing monitor for the busiest times during the summer months. All residents and friends of our lakes can also help by ensuring we all clean our boats and make sure that we tell our guests to do the same. In addition, anyone can monitor the lakes for AIS.
Here is information and links to the information that we sent out previously regarding Invasive Species identification and prevention.
Remember that monitoring for AIS is easy! Simply look into the water and gather specimens near or on your shoreline. A rake can be handy, but other than that no other tools are necessary.
The best time to find Curly Leaf Pond Weed is early in Spring as soon as the ice melts through June. Then it dies back and cannot be viewed until the following Spring. Eurasian Milfoil if present is evident from June through August.
The pdf on the link below also has the picture cards which identify Curly Leaf Pond Weed and differentiate between Eurasian Milfoil (invasive) and Northern Milfoil (native).
Damaging_Invasion_032011_with ID_cards
And below is a link to some easy FAQs regarding AIS monitoring.
Aquatic Invasive Species Monitoring Protocol
Here are the simple “tools” that you need to do monitoring:
- Several one gallon zip bags for specimens
- One small magnifying glass
- One plastic 12 inch ruler
- One sharpie pen
- Information hand out (cards previously mailed or print off from above) showing and explaining invasive species in the lakes.
- Polarized sun glasses
- Long handled rake
