The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and Fort Custer Recreation Area (FCRA) have engaged a diverse Kieser & Associates, LLC (K&A) Project Team to enhance the FCRA lakes by controlling invasive aquatic plant species. Three Fort Custer lakes, Eagle Lake, Whitford and Lawler Lake, and Jackson Hole Lake, are being addressed by this three-year project. Funding is provided as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, the Enbridge compensation for injuries to the Kalamazoo River related to the 2010 discharges.
The objectives for the project include:
- Assess the presence and density of aquatic invasive plants
- Develop an integrated strategy to control aquatic invasive plant species
- Monitor and assess invasive aquatic plant presence and density during and after treatments
- Develop and implement an outreach program for recreational users to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species from and into the FCRA.
- Design and implement a monitoring program to evaluate aquatic recreational use of all three lakes.
The project was recently highlighted through an interview with Patty Hoch-Melluish and article on MLive. Read about the project and see photos of the weevils and beetles being used for biologic controls at: https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2018/08/beetles_weevils_added_to_michi.html