In this issue:

Text Box: Text Box: Excessive aquatic plant growth is a symptom of lake conditions and not a singular problem.  All plants need food and sunlight to flourish.  First, the sunlight part is beyond our control, and with the improvement in the water clarity over the past few years, the amount of sunlight reaching plants has increased significantly.  The second cause of excessive plant growth is an abundance of food. A study conducted on our lake showed that the nutrient level in water entering the lake was borderline enriched, but the water leaving the lake had twice the level of nutrients. 

What is the cause of the increase of plant food in the lake water?
Much of the land flooded for the lake was wetland with very nutrient rich soil. Boat traffic stirs up this lake bottom soil and releases nutrients into the water.
Aquatic plants die and fall to the bottom of the lake to decay and release nutrients into the water.
Nutrients run into the lake from surrounding land.

What  can we do to reduce nutrients in the water?

Follow aquatic plant management practices that 
reduce numbers of plants sinking to the bottom and 
decaying .
Use systemic herbicides wherever possible to kill the plant root systems and thus prevent further growth from those plants.  
Harvest appropriate plants that can’t be treated with systemic herbicides. Harvesting plants involves cutting, Text Box: LTPOA Board President Jack Rote’s Message:
We Can All Take Action to Address Aquatic Plant Growth
Text Box: Aquatic Plant Management 2011
Text Box: The hope and plan with the current lake drawdown was to freeze out some of the weeds.  So far nature has cooperated and things look  good. The long steady stretch of freezing weather was just what we had hoped for.  Based on the results of our last drawdown, we expect to see the milfoil and the pond weeds along with other nuisance plants significantly reduced.

We haven’t been able to get predictions from any knowledgeable source as what to expect of the starry stonewort. This algae is so new in Michigan and there have been few infested lakes that have been able to drawdown as we have this year. However, the early signs look good. The weed that was exposed before the freeze and snow seemed to wither and die. Though not all of the weed has been exposed, it is our hope that we will see a significant reduction of stonewart this spring. 

Based on the research of the Aquatic Plant Control Committee  and the Board, starry stonewort does not respond well to chemicals typically used to manage aquatic Text Box: plants or to harvesting.  The most knowledgeable sources tell us the best we can do is “manage” it.  Research on controlling this algae is at the beginning stages.  The committee has researched in depth and talked with DEQ officials, Michigan Lake and Stream Association members, and representatives from other lake associations.  

Taking into account all our input, we asked for vendor bids to treat and manage Lake Templene for weeds with an emphasis on starry stonewort.  We received several bids, checked references, interviewed, and settled on a new vendor, Aquatic Services. The company has had experience with starry stonewort and they are currently involved with some of the Michigan research on starry stonewort currently underway. Their references are excellent.

We are hopeful Aquatic Services will keep the starry stonewort under control and bring more effective treatments as they evolve.  Aggressive treatment will begin as early as water temperatures and conditions allow.
                              By Dennis Nemeth

  Winter Issue

Lake Templene News

Lake Templene Property Owners Association

                 www.laketemplene.org

  1. gathering, and removing the plants from the lake. Because harvesting, like cutting a lawn,  leaves a portion of plant in the bottom soil, it must be constantly repeated.
  2. Conduct winter lake level draw-downs which expose the near shore plants and lakebed to drying and freezing. The drying and freezing kills the near shore plants and compacts the bottom soil which helps decrease nutrients released into the water.

Implement a dredging program that removes nutrient rich bottom soil.

      Besides dredging in shallow areas, also focus on high   boat traffic areas which were wetlands before the lake was formed.

 

Maintain watershed management requirements that significantly reduce the nutrients entering from surrounding land.

  1. Shoreline property owners need to create a vegetative barrier between their land and the lake. This can be as simple as having an eight foot wide no-mow zone between a lawn and a seawall.
  2. Everyone needs to stop using anything but organic fertilizers on lawns and phosphate free cleaning products in and around homes.

 

The LTPOA  can provide a recommended lawn treatment program.  The details of this program will be in the next newsletter and displayed on the website.

                           By Jack Rote

                                         2011

Aquatic Plant Growth Message

 

Aquatic Plant

Management 2011

2011

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Announcements:

Event Dates

 

Dinner Dance

Photos

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2

Shoreline Service

 

Best Picture

 

Directory Update

Request

 

Website

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3

 

 

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Nottawa Bridge

Launch Site

 

Treasurer’s

Message

 

Floating Plant

Gathering Service

 

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Bald Eagles on

Lake Templene

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Newsletter Editor:

Dolly Padgurskis

 

Newsletter Staff:

Susan Leist

Sandy Rote

Leslie Van Gelder