A Great Quality of Life on the Cullen Chain of Lakes
The purpose
of the Cullen Lakes Association
(CLA)
is to protect, preserve, and enhance the three
In past years the CLA Board has made the
monitoring
and management of invasive species a priority. Our newsletters,
seminars, and
Annual Meetings have focused on educating our members and lakeshore
owners
about invasive species and how they impact our lakes and the people who
live
around and use them. The summers of 2007
and 2008 brought us to a crossroads concerning the purple
loosestrife and
curlyleaf pondweed we have on all the Cullen lakes. The
CLA Board believes both of these invasive, non-native plants now
require chemical intervention by a
professional sprayer to manage and control them before they
negatively
impact the native vegetation, fish populations, animal habitat, and
property
values on and around our lakes.
CLP Status for 2010
The second year of curlyleaf pondweed control was completed this past
Spring 2010. The process of determining the acres to be treated
began last summer when the curlyleaf pondweed matted on the surface of
the lakes. Board member volunteers, headed by John Safranski,
used GPS equipment to map out areas where this invasive was causing
nuisance matting. These maps were then sent to the DNR to be used
last Spring when another survey was done by our contracted sprayer,
Professional Lake Management (PLM). The Minnesota DNR oversaw the
spring survey by PLM and the maps created by our board and then
determined the locations and amount of acreage we were allowed to
treat. The actual spraying of the curlyleaf pondweed was done by
Professional Lake Management under the supervision of the MN DNR.
Our CLA Board had members who were present during the surveying and
spraying process.
All three Cullen lakes were treated for curly-leaf pondweed (CLP) this
April and May and extensive surveying by members of the CLA Board and
the DNR indicate good results across the lakes.
More than 20 acres of Lower Cullen was treated on April 27. The
DNR surveyed Lower Cullen as part of the grant we received from them.
Nearly 19 acres of Upper Cullen was treated on May 5.
Middle Cullen had 6 acres treated on May 17.
All three lakes are treated at different times in the spring because
they are all very topographically different, making each vary in
temperature. Aquathol K is most effective when used between 55
and 60 degrees. Each one of the three Cullen Lakes reaches those
temperature perimeters at different times. The CLA Board
monitored water temperatures on all three lakes. Because the
Aquathol K is used early in the season it does not have a great effect
on the native plant vegetation which grows later in the spring at
higher water temperatures.
We have maps linked below giving the locations treated on each of the
three Cullen
Lakes. These maps are approximate as the actual GPS maps we use are
quite detailed and difficult to read on a computer screen. Actual
GPS maps will be blown up and available at the Cullen Lakes
Association's Annual Meeting on August 14, 2010. If you
would like copies sent to you via e-mail contact me at
georgia.maguire@gmail.com.
How is the Spraying Done?
Professional Lake Management (PLM) uses a specially equipped boat which
is able to lay the chemical, Aquathol K, down under water at different
levels and strengths in a very controlled manner. PLM takes great
care to plan out the boat's tracking path and the chemical levels
needed for different depths before each application to ensure the
chemical is placed on the correct GPS locations at correct
levels. Again, the actual spraying is observed by the MN
DNR and a CLA Board member on all three lakes.
What is Considered Nuisance Matting?
Nuisance matting is determined by the area size of matting and the
navigational difficulty a matting creates. Large areas of
curlyleaf pondweed create many turions, the reproductive part of this
plant. These areas are treated early in the season to prevent new
turions from forming and traveling in currents or by boat traffic to
other areas of the lake causing new infestations. Navigational
areas treated are those where boat traffic or other recreational use
would be effected by the matting. Again, any disturbance to a
curlyleaf pondweed plant can cause the plant to spread and infest new
areas of the lake by turions, or by filaments which break off from the
mats when disturbed. Small areas of curlyleaf are not cost
effective to treat and are not considered a nuisance.
FUND RAISING ISSUES
Your Permission is Needed:
How Safe are the Chemicals used?
UPDATED July 13, 2010
