Last week several LOFA members attended an online training session led by Zach Wilson of the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department about how to identify Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP), a persistent aquatic invasive species which has infested Rice Lake and has been recently discovered growing in PIke Lake, just up the river from Lake of the Falls. The ICLWC is partnering with the Iron County Lakes and Rivers Alliance in an effort to control CLP and prevent it’s spread., and the landowners around Pike Lake are forming a new lake association specifically to meet this challenge. Volunteers are being trained and scheduled to hand-pull the weeds in the next few weeks during their early growth period, when they can be identified and removed without spreading further.
If Curly Leaf Pondweed were to make its way into Lake of the Falls it would be a serious problem for all of us. Our lake has the perfect environment for it to grow and thrive. Here is a video produced by the North Lakeland Discovery Center showing how to identify the plant. Since we can’t meet in person to learn about this together, please watch the video and be on the lookout for CLP when you are out on the lake or up the river. If you find any don’t pull it, but send a note immediately to lofassociation@gmail.com so we can let Zach know. And if you want to volunteer as a “pondweed puller” on Pike Lake see this page on their website for more information
Thanks!