Online News from BLIMP

Fall Milfoil Treatment on Balch Lake
September 25, 2009

Hi this is Lee, wanted to give you an update of BLIMP Issues/actions over the last month:

* Sept 16th - Treatment day - Nick and I met with Marc Bellard and his team at the Marina early morning and got a briefing about how they planned to treat the 51.6 Acres of Balch and Woodman Pond. he also reviewed with us the new GPS system he had in the treatment boat that guided him directly over the proposed treatment areas of all 10 sections that the permit stated was acceptable for 2-4D treatment. (remember the areas that have been approved for treatment had to have a DES person's direct inspection and confirmation of variable milfoil in sufficient concentration to warrant pesticide 2-4D treatment and shall be limited to those areas where there is active milfoil growth and where herbicide use is the only practical means of controlling such milfoil).

Marc's plan was to first go to the Floating Island areas then over to the most southern cove in stump pond then work their way over toward Rt 153 (3 very large areas known on the permit map as sections I,J & K) these areas are probably the worst areas of variable milfoil on the lake. From there come back to the Marina to fill up with the 2-4D Chemical and then go to sections of Foy Cove and then up to three sections of the river coming into Balch from Woodman Pond then back to the Marina ,pull the boat then on up to the little pond across from the fire station and then over to the Northeastern section of Woodman Lake and then back to the little pond just before Chick's Dam to finish up. (See Map below)

We followed the treatment boat in Nicks whaler and also watched the second boat from the treatment company stop every couple hundred feet that abutted the treatment areas posting the yellow warning sheets describing the water restrictions that go with this treatment.

After all the areas in Balch and the river were treated, Nick and I followed the group (by car) to the small pond across from the Fire Station at the corner of Sanborn Road and Rt 153 where they put in a smaller boat and then treated that entire secton then over to the campground to do the northern portion of Woodman Lake where they actually had to "walk over" a very large beaver dam located about 100 yards south of the Belleau Lake Dam to finish that treatment area then back to the small pond next to the Chicks dam to finish up.

At the end of the day both Nick and I felt we got our money's worth!!!

* On Tuesday, Sept 22, (6 days after the treatment) Nick and I went back to the treated areas, spending quite a bit of time over at the floating Islands, and the cove at the southern end of Stump Pond along with the areas off of Jennifer Drive (again ,possibly the heaviest areas on the lake). In every area we checked we found the variable milfoil dying (changing from a bright green to a tan color and starting to disipate ) Hopefully, In another week or two it will be totally disolved!!

* We are in the process of buying 50 triangled benthic barriers from the same people that made them up for the Lake Arrowhead group. These have work very successful at Arrowhead and felt this should be our next step in helping to eliminate these small "plumbs" of Milfoil that have reseeded themselves in other parts of the lake. (Note: Benthic Barriers is a bottom screen or blanket that covers the sediment,compressing aquatic plants while reducing or blocking light with the end result killing the plant including the root!). At our next meeting we need to establish where these should go and come up with a plan where each Association can use some of these but have accountability for them also!!

* Another thing we need to put in place is thepossiblity of having our own (Possibly the SS Balch!) driver assisted harvester, similar to other lakes like Little Ossippee Lake, Lake Arrowhead and now even Belleau is launching theirs soon!! What we need is a small group of folks who have some mechanical abilities that can help convert a party boat to a driver assisted harvester. We have already a couple of volunteers but need some additional folks If your interested or if you know of someone who might be please let me know!!!

* Don't forget to take your boats out by Columbus Day. Lake drawdown will start the 14th of October.