Wisconsin – Aquarius-Systems

Rock Lake Permit Approved for Mechanical Weed Harvesting in Wisconsin

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 21:07:17 +0000

Aquatic plant control always seems to be a controversial issue. Rock Lake located in Southeastern Wisconsin is no exception. Last year residents opposing harvesting formed a human barrier to keep the aquatic plant harvester from entering the water.

This year the Rock Lake Restoration Association has once again applied and received a permit to harvest aquatic plants on the Town of Salem lake. Craig Helker, water resources biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued the permit for mechanical harvesting. “Harvesting is a recognized tool in Wisconsin,” Helker said.

Warden Jennifer Niemeyer had some words of warning for those who might contemplate trying to block the activity again. “Any impediment by the citizens could be construed as disorderly conduct,” Niemeyer said. “(Harvesting) is nothing new or special on Rock Lake that we haven’t done on other lakes.”

Wisconsin is the birthplace of the aquatic weed harvester. Built in 1902 by the Hockney Company, the machine was not originally built to meet recreational purposes; it was made in response to fussy Chicago housewives! Around the turn of the century, ice was harvested from Wisconsin lakes destined for Chicago iceboxes. The housewives there didn’t like cleaning out the weeds when the ice melted. The boat was designed to cut down the weeds in the fall so that clean ice could be harvested in the winter.

Wisconsin DNR Works to Restore Wild Rice Habitat on Spur Lake

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 20:08:27 +0000

Pete McGeshick II, 80, a Sokaogon Chippewa tribal member and former Rice Chief, recalls when he and Sokaogon Chippewa tribal members used to harvest wild rice on Spur Lake. The wild rice is all but gone, but DNR ecologists are working to clear Twin Lakes Creek, hoping to revive wild rice on Spur Lake.

The last several decades have been unkind to wild rice in Wisconsin.

The resource has deep cultural roots in the state, especially for Ojibwe tribal members. But it has been disappearing on lakes and rivers.

The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission estimates about half of the wild rice that once grew in Wisconsin is now gone. Five or six percent disappeared in the last decade.

Now, the Wisconsin DNR and a group of partners are trying to bring back what was lost on Spur Lake.

Fox Lake Plan Uses Harvesting and Herbicides to Manage Nuisance Weeds Near Piers

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 19:01:53 +0000

In recent years Fox Lake in Wisconsin has responded to a decade of water quality management that has shifted the lake from being turbid with frequent algae blooms to a clearer water condition.

This has fostered improved lake use, the return of aquatic plants and a more balanced fishery. One consequence of the water quality improvements is that some homeowners are experiencing nuisance levels of plant growth in front of their piers, inhibiting navigation to open water.

To address aquatic plant problem areas, the Fox Lake Inland Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District has developed an Aquatic Plant Management Plan that includes the mechanical harvesting of navigational channels to access open water and an herbicide treatment plan to create a path between the pier area and harvested channels.

Donations Help Fund Weed Harvesting and Lake Maintenance at Public Boat Launches

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 14:41:47 +0000

A public boat launch doesn’t necessarily make access to a lake free. There are costs involved in keeping the waters weed free, navigable for recreation and stocked with fish. McDill Inland Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District’s president Krista Olson asks people visiting any lake to utlize the donation boxes. Those donations are very important for the lake!

McDill Inland Lake P&R District kicked off the 2021 weed harvesting season on June 11th. The harvester chops and collects weeks 30-40 hours a week so boats can navigate through the water. The harvester will collect about 14 loads weekly.

Dane County Weed Harvesters Cut Dense Aquatic Plants to Improve Navigation and Reduce Flood Risk

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 17:50:42 +0000

Floating weed harvesters have opened passages through Dane County Wisconsin’s dense tangles of underwater plants for about 50 years.

The barges wield rotating cutting bars like those on farm combines to cut a submerged crop that is fertilized too well by runoff of nutrients like dairy manure.

Each spring, the county launches a flotilla of 10 paddle-propelled aquatic mowers to cut and remove thousands of tons of soggy vegetation to improve navigation and reduce flood risk.

Read More https://madison.com/news/local/100-objects/madison-in-100-objects-lake-weed-harvesters/article_a467fc54-97d4-5988-a412-933cc616bf2a.html