At the end of July we found the invasive aquatic Curly Leaf Pondweed growing in 4 locations at the north end of Lake of the Falls. Two were very small amounts and were easily removed, but we found a large amount growing around the docks at Beaver’s Resort, and a large patch off the shore a few properties north of there. So on Friday, August 2, a small army of LOFA volunteers assembled at Beaver’s to take care of it. Di Schuett arrived early and pulled out almost all of the infestation at Beaver’s single-handedly before everyone else arrived. Then, armed with rakes and nets, a group of 8 more volunteers managed to pull the rest of the weeds in both locations in about 2 hours.
At the Annual Meeting the following Sunday, we introduced our “Adopt-a-Shoreline” program. This map shows all our shorelines, and some of us have signed up to patrol for pondweed around our properties. Please consider taking responsibility for your shoreline, and for the areas to either side! (Some of our neighbors aren’t here all the time, or aren’t able to get out and look for weeds.) If you want to sign up for an area, use our Facebook page to let us know, or send an email to lofassociation@gmail.com. And see this page on our website for more information.
Not sure if you’re looking at CLP or one of it’s native cousins that actually belong here? Download this quick guide, “Pondweed Lookalikes,” and keep a copy on your phone. But be sure to contact the LOFA board if you think you’ve found the real thing! Once we verify that it’s really CLP we can help you keep it under control.
Our friends up on Pike Lake are making a heroic effort to keep their CLP under control so it can’t spread downriver to LOTF and then into the Turtle Flambeau Flowage, but the occasional turion escapes and floats down the river, planting itself in some random spot and starting a new bed. As of this writing, there are 4 areas of CLP growing in the Turtle River between Pike and LOTF. Now that CLP is here in our lake, it is up to us to control it and stop the spread. If we all work together, we can keep Curly Leaf Pondweed under control!