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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAquatic Invasive Species Committee - Minutes - 8/17/2022MINUTES August 17th, 2022 (to be approved) Present: Nan Olson-Chair and Long Lake Property Owners Association; Sally Pease-Vice Chair & Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Association; John Rautio-Town of Iron River, County Board Supervisor; Andrew Teal-AIS Coordinator/Surface Water Conservation Technician, Mike Higgins-Town of Iron River-Pike Chain of Lakes Association Board, Jim Giffin-Lake Minnesuing Sanitary District in Douglas County; Ramona Shackleford-NCWMA Coordinator (9:30), & Melissa Kraft-LWCD Assistant Absent: Ben Dufford-Director of Land & Water Conservation Dept., Larry Fickbohm-Board of Supervisor; Reed Saam-Red Cliff Treaty Natural Resources Division Nan Olson called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Introductions: Introductions were made roundtable. Action: Election of Officers- AIS Chair and AIS Vice-Chair. Nan Olson nominated Mike Higgins as Chair. Mike Higgins declined the nomination. Mike Higgins nominated Nan Olson as the AIS Chair. No other nominations made. Nan Olson accepts nomination and calls for nominations to be closed. Motion by John Rautio to elect Nan Olson as AIS Chair, 2nd by Mike Higgins, motion carried. Sally Pease stated she is willing to serve again as the AIS Vice Chair. No other nominations made and Nan calls for nominations to be closed. Motion by John Rautio to elect Sally Pease as AIS Vice-Chair, 2nd by Mike Higgins, motion carried. Public Comment: Jim Giffin discussed challenge his area has had with curly-leaf pondweed in the last couple years. They treated last year and are waiting for survey results to see whether the treatment had an impact or not. In the past 2 years there hasn’t been much work done on the yellow flag iris. It is still present but the 6 years of treatment prior had really retarded its growth. He is trying to move the responsibility over to someone else as it will need to be kept after and monitored on a regular basis. Jim noted he was able to germinate some northern blue iris from seed. He has about 20 growing and will try again on more next year. Jim discussed the two various treatment techniques on the curly-leaf pondweed. On the dense areas, Endothall herbicide was used and on the less dense areas they hired someone to snorkel and hand pull it. Sally noted they only hand pull and therefore is interested as to whether or not the herbicide worked. Jim stated they had applied for a DNR grant for AIS to treat with herbicide and they did not grant it last year. They did grant money to do pre imposed surveys. They will apply again this year for the grant to treat with herbicide and hope they get it. Approval of Meeting Minutes from 02-16-22 and 05-18-2022: Motion to approve the minutes from February 16th, 2022, made by Sally Pease, 2nd by Mike Higgins, motion carried. Motion to approve the minutes from May 18th, 2022, made by Sally Pease, 2nd by Mike Higgins, motion carried. Grant Updates: Clean Boats Clean Waters-Iron River (CBCW-IR) program and match: Discussion that the CBCW-IR grant for 2023 pre-application is due by September 1, 2022 and final application is due by Nov. 1, 2022. Mike Higgins said the Lakes Association annual meeting went well and that a little over 100 people attended. Nan Olson said that Long Lake will contribute $1000.00 to the CBCW grant to be used towards match and would go towards watercraft inspectors’ payroll. Andy said he would need documentation (copies of check(s)) and statement from John Coffey stating he received the funds from Long Lake Property Owners Association (LLPOA) to be spent as match. Nan will talk to John Coffey to make sure he has a way of making a note and providing proof to Andy saying he received the funds to be spent on the CBCW program from the source (LLPOA) as match etc. Nan noted they have had a lot more volunteer hours than in the past. Discussion on status of CBCW Iron River grant next year: Andy stated that if it seems that it will be a struggle to get match for this year then he doesn’t feel that we should apply for the grant. Nan stated that Karen told her that there will be match available and that John Coffey agreed to process the payroll again for 2023 through the Pike Chain of Lakes Association the same as was done this year, therefore, consensus was for Andy to apply for the CBCW Iron River grant for 2023. Discussion: AIS Snapshot Day: Andy noted it is on Saturday, August 20, 2022, from 8:30-noon at Whittlesey Creek Coaster Classroom in Ashland instead of the usual spot at the Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center. Registration is still open if anyone is interested. It will consist mainly of a brief training session followed by a couple hours monitoring at four boat launches checking for aquatic invasive species. Andy noted that there will be another one, likely run by Zach Stewart in Douglas County, at the Winneboujou Canoe Landing. Discussion/Possible Action regarding curly-leaf pondweed on Lower Eau Claire Lake: Discovery of curly-leaf pondweed in Lower Eau Claire Lake on the Town of Gordon side in three spots. Sally noted they have a DNR rapid response grant that was submitted. They tried to hand pull some of it, but it was disintegrating. By the time they had found it, it was already set for turions. Hoping it hasn’t let any turions over the dam; however in one spot it is close. Sally suspects a boat brought turions and dropped it judging that it is all near the boat launch and not anywhere else on the lake. Discussed that however the grant comes, they will work on treatment or hand pull with the DASH boat, but it will likely take place in June 2023. Discussions that they would first work on the newly discovered area, then do work at Upper and Middle Eau Claire Lakes for curly-leaf pondweed then going ahead with the Eurasian watermilfoil issues on Tomahawk/Sandbar Lakes. The Town of Barnes is not sure what the DNR will say because the patches aren’t big, but they were thinking pulling those populations first then go to Middle and Upper Eau Claire Lakes. Needs to see if the DNR will have them hand pull with the diver or put a barrier around it and treat with herbicide. Discussion/Possible Action regarding Arrow Arum Population in Middle Eau Claire Lake: Andy discussed that it has been a debate among the experts they have been talking to as whether to leave it or pull it out. The experts have said it may be a natural migration due to climate change and is more tolerant now up here than in earlier decades and spreads easily by waterfowl eating the seeds. It’s one smaller patch about six feet in diameter. Andy asked what the AIS committee’s impression is, as it is in some places considered introduced and an escapee and can be invasive, but he doesn’t believe it is NR40 listed in WI. The committee suggested to watch it closely and if it spreads, possible options can be discussed. It was not there in the early spring 2021 survey but was found in August 2021. It produces seed and again waterfowl can spread it, but Andy isn’t sure if it spreads by rhizomes. Sally offered to help clip the seed pod heads off the plants if Andy feels that would be needed. He will discuss that option with Lee Wiesner and let Sally know. AIS Coordinator Report. Andy Teal discussed his report, in detail, which is on file. Some other points that were discussed as follows: The LMPN grant that Andy operates under, looks like it will be the same grant amount of $20,090.27 for 2023 and he will be applying again for it. Ramona Shackleford entered meeting at 9:30 a.m. Andy participated in a CBCW Boater Behavior Study that is done by the Statewide CBCW Coordinator, based on the 2014 data form, to do a comparison of if boaters are still doing the actions they claim they are doing and compare them to the current data sheets. Andy went to a few landings for it, including Short Bridge on Lake Superior, the Northwest Landing at Lake Owen, and the County Highway D landing on Lake Namakagon. Andy helped Zach Stewart on the Brule River one day pulling/digging/cutting yellow Iris. They worked on the stretch from Winneboujou Canoe Landing to US Hwy. 2. Andy participated as an NCWMA partner. Andy discussed the future activities. Nan asked that Andy send a flyer or notice with dates and times of the activities so that she con pass it on to others. Future AIS/Surface Water Activities: • AIS Snapshot Day, August 20, 2022, statewide-local rendezvous site at Coaster Classroom, Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge • Invasive Species ID Day, August 26, 2022, David Obey- Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center • Early detection monitoring on Bismarck Lake in Iron River, date TBD • Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference, KI Convention Center, Green Bay, October 25-27, 2022 Partner/Department Reports: Ramona Shackleford- NCWMA hired two boat washers this year and discussed their duties and where they have been working going between the Gile Flowage in Iron County, the Washburn Marina, Kreher Park in Ashland, and Loons Foot Landing in Superior. They are done Aug. 26th. The other interns hired have been working on invasives doing garlic mustard, knotweed, and buckthorn throughout the spring/summer. They held a public garlic mustard pulling event in Cable, WI. The City of Bayfield has been paying some contractor services to remove garlic mustard as there is quite a lot of garlic mustard there spreading through yards. Ramona discussed knotweed work. The interns have been cutting the knotweed in June/July and go back to the sites and treat them with herbicide. Ramona also contracted out 33 sites around Lake Minnesuing and a site in Hurley by the railroad. Bayfield County has the most knotweed sites so a lot of time was spent on that. Recently they were working on a site at Blue Vista (1/3 of an acre). Ramona said she has one known Butterfly Dock site in Superior that they treated last week. It is prohibited in WI. She noted there are multiple sites in Michigan that cover miles of streambanks. Two of the seasonal interns will be done this week and the other one will be done next week. There will be two Woman Woodland Landowner workshops in September. One will be in Douglas County and Iron County on property that has focused on restoration and how they treated the invasives on their properties. The focus of the workshop is getting women involved in treating invasives. The interns also went and helped with yellow flag iris and hybrid cattail along the Brule River. They also have worked on teasel removal in Ashland and one site in Port Wing/Bayfield County. Teasel is all along the roadsides in Central and Southern Wisconsin so it is one we really want to watch out for. Discussion on teasel and what they look like. Ramona discussed the various grants and who they are funded through. Mainly her grants are through the US Forest Service but also has them through the DNR and the Knotweed grant is through an EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant but the DNR oversees it. Sally Pease- Reported on Eurasian watermilfoil-barrier system that seemed to work except for the last one because of increase in wind caused a little damage, making the curtain separate a bit. Sally noted that Cris Neff took some underwater video that showed the main part of the plants are dying. They will likely end up treating the far end which is too thick in which to have the divers operate. The curly-leaf pondweed work wasn’t as bad on Upper Eau Claire Lake and a couple spots at Middle Eau Claire Lake. The patch near the river toward the dam was a little bigger this year. Sally noted people have been using the hose to rinse their boats off at the Tomahawk Lake boat landing. Mike Higgins- John Coffey has been processing the payroll for the CBCW-Iron River workers for the CBCW-Iron River grant through the Iron River Pike Chain of Lakes Association and it is going well. Mike seemed to indicate that John would be open to running payroll again in 2023. John Rautio- Asked some questions on hand pulling versus automated removal. Sally discussed one process that could be considered automated. They have a diver assisted suction harvester boat that has typically two divers in the water, pulls the curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil and feeds it through the tube that then gets sucked through and someone on the boat then puts it in bags. Then they let the plants dry a bit to reduce water weight. The Town of Barnes and volunteers built it themselves versus buying one, saving money. The boat layout is modeled off the boat on Lake Tomahawk in Oneida County. Other Business: None. Adjournment: Motion by Sally, 2nd by Mike to adjourn the meeting, motion carried. Meeting ended at 10:07 am Future meeting date(s) for regular AIS Committee meeting: • Nov 16th, 2022 at 9AM in the EOC • Minutes submitted by Melissa Kraft.