Flint Lake on Valparaiso’s north side is in trouble. Invasive aquatic weeds, especially Eurasian milfoil, have become so overgrown that they’re even interfering with fish population surveys. During a recent Department of Natural Resources (DNR) survey, biologists had to stop two or three times just to clean the weeds off their boat’s propellers.

Herbicide Treatments: A Short-Term Fix with Long-Term Consequences

While treatments for Eurasian milfoil might seem like a good solution, they often come with serious environmental trade-offs. Herbicides do not actually remove the plants—they simply kill them where they grow. This leaves large amounts of decaying plant matter in the water, which can significantly reduce oxygen levels. As the plants rot, they consume oxygen that fish and other aquatic life depend on, potentially creating dead zones that are uninhabitable.

To make matters worse, the milfoil in Flint Lake is becoming more resistant to the most commonly used chemical treatments. And if the herbicide isn’t specific to milfoil, it can endanger beneficial native plants as well.

Native Plants: Critical for Young Fish and Water Quality

These native aquatic plants are more than just vegetation—they’re lifelines for young fish. “Anytime you damage these plants, you’re killing hundreds of thousands of babies,” DNR specialist said. Smaller fish use these plants to hide from predators and as feeding grounds. Destroying them reduces fish survival rates and upsets the balance of the ecosystem.

Mechanical Removal Isn’t a Silver Bullet Either

Even mechanical methods have their risks. Fragmenting Eurasian milfoil—chopping it up—can actually help it spread. Each small piece of the plant has the potential to take root and grow elsewhere in the lake.

A Call for Smarter Management

The situation at Flint Lake underscores the urgent need for responsible and effective aquatic plant management strategies. It’s not enough to kill the plants—we must remove them in a way that protects fish habitats, promotes water quality, and prevents further spread.

The main issues with wake boats include:

• Shoreline Erosion: The large wakes created by these boats can accelerate erosion along the shorelines, especially on smaller lakes with fragile ecosystems. This erosion can disrupt natural habitats, damage property, and increase sediment runoff, impacting water quality.

• Sediment Disturbance: Wake boats “plowing” motion, churn up sediment and tear apart aquatic plants, especially in small, shallow lakes. This stirs up nutrients like phosphorus, making the water murky, destroying fish habitats, and promoting algae blooms. The disruption also encourages invasive species, damaging the lake’s fragile ecosystem.

• Disturbance to Wildlife: The powerful waves can disturb wildlife, especially waterfowl and aquatic creatures. Sensitive species may be particularly affected by the increased wave action and boat noise.

• Safety Concerns: The large waves generated by wake boats can pose risks to other boaters, swimmers, and paddlers, who may find it difficult to navigate or remain safe in the choppy waters.

• Conflicts Among Lake Users: The use of wake boats can lead to tension between different groups of lake users. Anglers, kayakers, canoeists, and those seeking a quiet, peaceful experience on the water may find their enjoyment diminished by the waves and noise created by these boats.

In response to these concerns, some lakes and local governments have implemented regulations, such as restricting wake boats to certain areas or imposing limits on boat speed and the size of wakes that can be generated. However, balancing the interests of different lake users while protecting the environment remains a challenge in many Wisconsin communities.

31 Wisconsin communities now have ordinances restricting “artificial wake enhancement.” Mequon and Thiensville were the first, passing restrictions in 2009 along the Milwaukee River, banning boats from creating wakes by operating in a “bow-high manner” or at “transition speed,” which is key for wakesurfing.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only five such ordinances existed. From 2021 to 2023, 10 more were passed, and in 2024, 16 additional communities imposed restrictions. These 31 ordinances now affect nearly 200 lakes across the state.

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Today, over 250 lake districts in Wisconsin undertake lake protection and rehabilitation projects for the benefit of all lake users. As we gather in Stevens Point for the annual convention, we’ll look back at the progress made over 50 years of partnering to protect and restore these waters. We’ll also look ahead to the next 50 years to ensure that future generations of lake lovers will continue our legacy of proactive lake, river and watershed management.

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Lake George is among the clearest and cleanest large lakes in the World. Over 90% of the watershed remains as natural forestland with half of that protected as forever-wild Forest Preserve. And, Lake George serves as the primary source of drinking water for surrounding communities and residents. 

Like many lakes, Lake George has been impacted by invasive Eurasian milfoil. First discovered in 1986, it has been managed over the past 30 years at a cost of over $5 million. To date hand-harvesting and matting have been used to control the milfoil, in 2020 186,590 pounds (about 93 tons) of milfoil was removed from Lake George.

The milfoil continues to grow in Lake George and in an effort to eliminate the dense milfoil beds, the Lake George Park Commission, in charge of managing the lake wanted to try aquatic herbicides and received a permit to do so. However, the Lake George Association and a large number of the public raised objections to the use of herbicides in their beloved Lake George.

The Lake George Association felt  there were too many unknowns about its impact on nontarget species, to native plants, animals, and even to human health for those people who still use the lake for their drinking water. The association sued to stop the use of the aquatic herbicide use and a state Supreme Court judge ruled in favor of the herbicide treatment.

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In the mid-1970s, Aquarius Systems produced the very first Aquatic Trash Skimmer for use in Venice to remove floating debris from the canals. The Trash Hunter is the first-of-its-kind boat designed for the sole purpose of collecting and removing floating debris from surface water. 

See the Trash Hunter in Action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8SRHazldOM

B.A.S.S. is the the world’s largest fishing membership organization and will be his legacy. His contributions and impact on conservation and his advocacy and passion for anglers and the bass fishing sport will continue to carry on as well.

While Ray Scott did not invent the catch and release, his campaign “Don’t Kill Your Catch,” mandated that all tournament competitors’ boats feature an aerated livewell to keep their bass alive. As a result, the catch-and-release ethic caught on so well that more than 90% of all bass anglers today release all or most of the bass they catch.

Scott and the B.A.S.S organization also crusaded against industrial pollution of America’s waterways. In 1970 and ’71, Scott filed some 200 anti-pollution lawsuits, drawing national attention to declining water quality and contributing significantly to passage of the Clean Water Act of 1972.

Scott also advocated for bass fisheries research and had a positive impact on boating safety by requiring tournament competitors to wear personal flotation devices and he convinced boat manufacturers to make emergency shut-off devices — “kill switches” — standard features on motorboats.

Aquarius Systems joined forces with Ray Scott, The Lower Colorado River Authority, Texas Parks & Wildlife, the Tennessee Valley Authority and numerous fishing & environmental groups in giving a demonstration of an Aquatic Plant Harvester for Texas Governor George Bush.

TVA brought their specially designed Aquarius Systems Aquatic Weed Harvester from Guntersville, Alabama to be tested on Lake Bastrop approximately 40 miles southeast of Austin, Texas. During the week long demonstration, research teams rode along on the harvester to study its effectiveness and environmental impact on fisheries.

On the last day of the demo, Ray Scott convinced Governor Bush to come out and take a ride on the harvester. After a quick lesson, the Governor got into the driver’s seat to put the machine through its paces.

Governor Bush stated; “I am an avid fisherman and Ray [Scott] is deeply concerned about fishing, food chains and habitat. He and I had a long talk about how do we make sure Texas lakes are not only accessible to all water users, but are the best places to fish in America. I’d love to be the governor to stand up and say anybody can put their bass boat in our lake and catch the biggest fish in America. And so the question is, is there a way to manage hydrilla and at the same time be able to have water use for all our citizens, including the best bass fishing in America? This harvester is a good way to get it all done.”

This demonstration was in response to overwhelming public pressure to find alternatives to using herbicides in Texas lakes to manage excessive aquatic vegetation.

Ray Scott’s dedication to outdoor sports landed him in the pages of Field & Stream Magazine — along with President Teddy Roosevelt, environmentalist Rachel Carson and naturalist/conservationist Aldo Leopold — among 20 individuals who most influenced outdoor sports during the 20th Century.

Ray Scott remained mostly out of the public eye in the years prior to his death, but his impact will continue to be felt in the sportfishing industry.

Climate change has caused lake ice to form later in the winter and thaw earlier in the spring. Their research has revealed that the timing of when ice forms on lakes in the winter can have big effects on life in the water the following spring and summer.

The delay of ice forming allows the algae to continue to photosynthesis for longer, allowing the zooplankton that feed on the algae to survive throughout the winter.  When the ice begins to melt those hungry zooplankton begin eating the new spring algae long before other species even become active.

While the research is just the tip of the iceberg, it provided a snapshot of the changes to the population of algae and zooplankton which in turn can potentially disrupt the aquatic food web.

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Freshwater education and research across the state has too often been an independent pursuit. Until now. As part of a state-wide initiative called the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin (FCW), 16 participants (mostly freshman) in the UW System would spend their first semester on campus all taking the same set of three science-based courses organized around this freshwater theme.

The goal is to increase Wisconsin student’s access to learning opportunities across the state and to set

young scientists on freshwater career paths, as well as explore the economic potential of clean, available freshwater for industry and tourism.

All in all, the project is a big win for the state of Wisconsin, its freshwater resources and the future scientists, policymakers and engineers who will make sure that our inland waterways remain an integral part of our lives.

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Over a stretch of seven years, the lake association and other residents of this small community were fighting against a politically connected entrepreneur. Not only was the body of water, its watershed and a groundwater aquifer at stake, but so was the lifestyle of people who called this slice of God’s country their home.

Over the seven-year battle, local, county, state, and federal laws, an interstate compact, and an international agreement came into play. The proposal was rejected by multiple circuit court judges, a state appeals court, the Vilas County Zoning Administrator, and twice by the Vilas County Board of Adjustment.

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Phragmites obliterate nearly all other plant life, it changes a marsh’s hydrology that affects flow and habitat for baitfish and degrade conditions for birds along with altering water levels by trapping sediment.

Researchers know that phragmites doesn’t have many weaknesses, but salt is one of them and conservationists are restoring salinity to Rhode Island waterways by removing dams and restoring tidal flow.   While the invasive plant is still there, it is stunted and numbers are reduced enough to allow less-suffocating plants to reestablish.

And after efforts to eradicate or reduce plant numbers, conservationists begrudgingly say phragmites may actually help save the marshes from climate change issues such as rising sea levels.  These rising waters force the salt marshes inland, phragmites root networks retain peat in marshes and could help future marshes migrate to higher ground.

The phragmites are also excellent at capturing and storing nutrients.  The plant locks elements such as phosphorus and nitrogen in its stalks and roots and also absorb industry legacy pollutants such as cadmium and lead.  The biomass is also effective in storing carbon which is a chief driver of climate change.

So, do the benefits offset the harm?

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