Attention all AIS monitors and those interested in monitoring. Mark your calendars for Thursday May 25th, 6:30pm at the County Offices on Expo Drive, for the next MCLA meeting. Tom Ward will conduct a review of the photo documentation procedures and provide an ID book; it would be helpful to have a count before the meeting (email tomward@tm.net). AIS monitoring kits will be ordered from this meeting for the active monitor lakes and delivered on May 30, when Paul Skawinski conducts training on Cedar Lake.
The AIS monitoring has some significant updates and new equipment for our monitors.
We continue to have a need for a trained monitor on every lake and more is better. This past year Curley leaf Pond weed was discovered on Gass Lake and we tried to remove plant before they went to seed. After a day of plant removal we discovered more beds of plants than expected; if a monitor would have identified the plants a year earlier we could have been successful with a hand removal.
We have a new threat to the south of us in Washington and Ozaukee counties. Starry Stonewort is spreading and impossible to control with a herbicide.
Starry Stonewort. Source: USGS
Starry Stonewort. Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
2017 is the last year of support for our AIS program therefore its important we equip monitors for the future protection of our lakes. The new protocol includes instruction on how to submit a new find with a photo, and monitoring kit that includes a water proof clip board, throw rake and compact plant identification book. Each Lake will be eligible for one kit and we will purchase the new I.D book for each active monitor.
If you no longer wish to serve as an AIS monitor for one of our County Lakes, please email tomward@tm.net. It would be helpful if you could suggest someone from your lake to become a monitor, there will be one last monitor training workshop in June.
