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Village of
Bear Lake
P. O. Box 175
Bear Lake, Michigan
49614-0175
Phone/Fax: 231.864.4300

May, 2008

Lake Improvement Board of Bear Lake

Treatment Plans to Control Eurasian Watermilfoil

We plan to treat the lake with chemicals in the first week of June, 2008 after the Memorial Day weekend to control Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM). Originally, we planned to treat in late April or early May. But the water temperature has been too cool. If the water temperature in the first week of June is not in the proper range, the application will be postponed until the water warms. The application will be made on a calm day to ensure the treatment will be effective.

Signs will be posted about every 100 feet in front of shorelines of treatment areas to give notice on the day the lake will be treated. People on the lake or visiting the lake should adhere to the restrictions listed on the notices or on the postings for the 2,4-D or Triclopyr for whatever is used in their respective treatment areas.

Our lake specialist (limnologist) will be on the lake on May 22, 2008 to plot by GPS point the exact location of the EWM beds. The EWM bed locations were previously marked during a study in April of 2007.

In mid-July, about 18,000 weevils will be planted in the smallest EWM bed after it is delineated with 2,4-D to avoid further spread of the EWM out of the bed area and to allow the weevil population to adequately control the EWM population within that bed. We will monitor the EWM beds with weevils to determine if the weevils can control the spread of EWM. It is our hope that the biological control of EWM with weevils will be prove to be effective in our lake and that weevils will become the only method of control. However, some small-scale systemic herbicide treatments may always be needed to control random single EWM plants that become established in patchy distributions throughout the lake, and that would not provide adequate food for the weevil.

Later in the summer, it may be necessary to repeat chemical treatment in EWM beds that continue to thrive. Proper notice will again be given if repeat treatment is necessary.

Many have asked why it is necessary to treat EWM on a continuing basis. Seeds in the lakebed sprout new growth periodically. Once EWM is in a lake, it cannot be eradicated. It can only be controlled.