The first meeting of the McKenzie Lakes Area Zebra Mussel Management Team was Monday afternoon, January 23. Here is a brief summary of what transpired:
Bob
Eleven people were in attendance and three others joined via Skype. Pamela Toshner, from the Spooner DNR office coordinated the meeting.
The primary charge of the committee is to determine if the zebra mussels in Big McKenzie are reproducing. Once this is answered, then control options will be considered. Isolated populations are definitely treatable, whereas lake-wide infestations have never been successfully eradicated. Toshner pointed out that there are documented cases of zebra mussels not becoming established after being introduced into a lake. The fact that only 9 zebra mussels were discovered last fall, with all being less than a year old, and that no veligers (zebra mussel nymphs) were found in water samples in the fall collected by plankton tows make her cautiously optimistic that the McKenzie mussels might not survive/thrive.
If adult zebra mussels are found this summer, samples will be sent to the U. of Minnesota for DNA analysis. Such analyses can help determine where the Big McKenzie mussels originated.
The McKenzie Lake Association has submitted a rapid response grant to the DNR and should know whether or not funding has been approved sometime in early February. Assuming funding approval, the Burnett County Land and Water Conservation District will purchase a hot-water decontamination unit to be used at the Big McKenzie public access, West Point Landing, and possibly neighboring lakes. Toshner indicated that someone would contact Shanee’s Resort on Big McKenzie to make certain they are aware of the zebra mussels and encourage them to make certain all boats entering the lake from their private access are inspected and water is drained before entering and leaving the lake. At least part of the required match for this purchase will be supplied by the McKenzie Lake Association. The rapid response grant also includes monies for signage, and communications/pamphlets for bait shops and regional tourism centers.
Big McKenzie intends to begin boat-landing inspections for the first time ever this summer. They apparently missed an opportunity to obtain Clean Boat Clean Waters funding because the grant application deadline was in early December. There was some discussion about how our steering committee could assist in setting up a monitoring/inspection program.
Toshner passed out a sheet listing area lakes that will have regular water sampling and inspection. In Burnett County these are Bashaw, Benoit, Durham, Rice, and Spirit Lakes. Big McKenzie is scheduled for 3 samplings in 2017.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, in coordination with the Burnett County Land and Water Conservation District, will have several workshops on proper use of hot-water decontamination units in the spring and/or early summer.
It was pointed out that any lake that does plankton tows looking for zebra mussel veligers can have samples analyzed through a commercial lab in Detroit Lakes, MN for between $70 and 90/sample, with quick turn around. If DNR protocol is followed in the sampling process, samples can be analyzed by the DNR in Madison for no cost, but the turn around time is somewhat longer.
A representative from the McKenzie Association pointed out that several neighboring lakes, like Bass, Benoit, Rice, and Nicaboyne do not have formal lake associations, but might like to get one started. I was mentioned that UW-Extension has a web site with startup information available and that the BCLRA would be happy to assist any lakes interested in establishing a formal association.
Water levels in Big McKenzie and water flow related to the Zehm Cranberry Bog were discussed. It was pointed out that because Big McKenzie has such a large outlet flowing into Middle McKenzie, the water level rarely rises more than 1 foot during spring runoff and wetter periods. D.Ferris and P. Toshner said that they would have someone determine the gradient of the hand-dug stream that flows north from the cranberry bogs into Big McKenzie and, therefore, whether or not a foot rise in the level of Big McKenzie could ever cause a reversal of flow to the south and eventually into Lipsett Lake. This is clearly an important question for us on Lipsett Lake.
The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, February 22.
No comments:
Post a Comment