There have been significant milestones this year in the RLPOA effort to control Eurasian water milfoil (EWM) in Round and Little Round Lakes. The first is more member support. David Rutt and Jim Nancekivell, Round Lake property owners, where voted to the board of directors at the July annual meeting. They are co-chairs of the aquatic invasive species (AIS) committee and will lead association AIS treatment activities. Other milestones were the successful treatment of Richardson Bay and the not so successful treatment of Hinton Bay.
In June, NEC, Inc. performed a whole bay chemical treatment of Richardson Bay. Post treatment visual surveys indicate a dramatic reduction of milfoil in the bay. We are very pleased with the results so far and will continue to monitor the bay to gauge the long term effectiveness of the treatment.
In late June, members of the board and aquatic plant specialist Sara Hatleli toured Hinton Bay to assess the extent of milfoil in the bay. During the tour, it was apparent that there was significant expansion of milfoil along the east and south shore and new locations were present on the west shore. Armed with this new information, the board voted to cancel all DASH treatments that had been scheduled for 2019.
Property owner David Rutt, initiated a Go-Fund-Me campaign to raise funds for chemical treatment of Hinton Bay . With the generous response from Hinton Bay residents, $16,237 has been raised to date for treatment of the bay.
David and the RLPOA worked with the DNR to develop an alternative 2019 treatment plan for the bay. After extensive consultation with the DNR, a plan was approved to spot treat two acres of milfoil that were navigational nuisance areas in the bay. We were disappointed in this outcome, but it was the best that could be done on short notice.
The DNR does recognize that there is a significant milfoil issue in the bay that needs to be addressed. The RLPOA is working with the DNR, LCO, and consultants to develop a whole bay treatment plan to be executed in 2020. The Go Fund Me dollars that David raised will be instrumental in the fulfillment of the plan.
We would like to thank everyone who has contributed so generously to the aquatic invasive species fund this year. Please encourage your neighbors to join the RLPOA and support the efforts to maintain and enhance Round and Little Round Lakes. We also want to remind everyone to avoid the use of fertilizers on your lawn— a healthy lake is far more important to your home’s value than a weed less lawn.