2021 Invasive Species Report

In a recent website article, 2021 State of the Lake Report, we mentioned that Finger Lake water quality is exceptionally good, and no issues were identified in last year’s water quality testing. This is great news! In this article we will address the other major area that FOFL is focused on – invasive species monitoring and prevention.

Invasive species can cause enormous problems for lake property owners, especially on small lakes like Finger Lake with no public access. It is essential that all users of the lake remain very diligent in preventing the introduction of invasives into the lake. Once invasives infest a lake, they rarely can be completely removed and require constant efforts, at great cost, to keep them in control. For lakes that do not have public access, like our lake, the WDNR will only provide an initial assessment and remediation, after that all costs and future control activities are the responsibility of the lake property owners. These costs are very high and as mentioned earlier, they go on for a very long time. There is no doubt that invasive species introduction into a lake is an aesthetic issue, but it is also a resident financial and land value issue. PREVENTION IS THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH INVASIVE SPECIES. So, what is the status of invasive species on Finger Lake?

A few years back, FOFL received a WDNR grant to assess Finger Lake for invasives. This was a very comprehensive study conducted by a lake management firm involving all areas of the lake and included scuba diving to check deeper areas. The good news from this study was that no invasive plant species were found and the only animal invasive found was the Chinese Mystery Snail. This snail poses no significant threat to the lake and is widely present in northern lakes. You may have seen these along the lake shoreline, they are very large, brown, banded snails and are present in large numbers. This was great news and served as a jumping off point for future monitoring by FOFL.

Currently, FOFL is focused on two areas for dealing with invasive species - annual monitoring of the lake and education of residents on prevention. One recommendation made in the grant report was that FOFL conduct, at minimum, an annual inspection of the lake to detect infestations as early as possible. We have formed a five person team of residents to complete this annual assessment. The team was trained by the Vilas County Invasive Species Coordinator and has conducted one assessment in 2019.

Unfortunately, the 2020 assessment was canceled because of COVID but we do plan to complete one in July 2021. The team did not find any new invasives in the 2019 study. The team was instructed by the Coordinator to focus on three plants which are the most likely invasives we may find in Finger Lake – Purple Loosestrife, Eurasian Watermilfoil, and Curly Leaf Pondweed. Purple Loosestrife is a shoreline land plant and the other two are water plants. We will talk more about these in the next annual association meeting.

The second focus area is education. Invasive species are moved around from lake to lake by a number of means, but most often by human activity. It is possible for invasives to be introduced by natural means, carried by birds or other animals for example, but these are not the primary means of infestation. Boats, water toys, fishing equipment and bait, and trailers are all means of transmission.

As people move their equipment from lake to lake, invasives can tag along and be introduced into other lakes. This is the likely way invasives will enter Finger Lake. Every time we bring something into the lake, we could be introducing a problem plant or animal. And given that Finger Lake has no public access, we as residents and our guests will likely be the ones causing the problem. FOFL has been focused on stopping trespassers from accessing the lake in recent years because of the concern they could introduce invasives into the lake.

There are a number of things we as residents can do to help stop invasive species from entering the lake and many are listed below. We ask all residents and their guests to be aware of these to help stem the potential infestation of Finger Lake.

• Dedicate boats, water toys, and recreational equipment for Finger Lake use only. Avoid taking equipment from Finger Lake to other lakes and bringing them back. If this must be done, before placing equipment into Finger Lake, thoroughly check the equipment for pieces of plant material and remove and dispose far from the shore or in the trash. Drain all water from the boat on land before putting it in the lake. Clean the equipment with a diluted bleach solution before reintroducing the equipment back into the lake, especially bilge and fish boxes.

• Check fishing equipment for plant matter and remove and dispose away from the lake or in the trash. This includes ropes and anchors, fish baskets, and windsocks.

• If you use a service to work on your docks or install and remove your boats from the lake, make sure they are aware of your concern for their equipment being free of invasives and ask them how they ensure that is done. This has been identified as a major loophole in the invasive control plan.

• Dispose of unused bait away from the lake on land or in the trash; never dispose of unused bait in the lake. Buy your bait from local, large bait stores to help ensure your bait is free of unwanted invasives.

• It is nearly impossible to clean the inner portions of jet ski engines or other similar engines and if they are used on other lakes, they pose a serious risk of bringing in invasives.

• Never dispose of aquarium plants in a waterbody – some of the worst invasive species problems came from improperly disposed of aquarium plants.

• Never move plants or animals from one water body to another, including fish.

Together we can help make sure Finger Lake remains invasive species free. Please help out, we all benefit.

FOFL water testing and invasive species assessments tell us Finger Lake in is great shape. We all need to work to keep it that way. It only takes one mistake by one of us for all of us to pay a big price!

If you have questions or concerns, please email me at billabba@centurytel.net or call 920-667-4953.

Bill Abba