I. Introduction to Project

In late August, 2004, Barnes, a tranquil forested lake community in northwestern Wisconsin, was suddenly challenged by the invasive aquatic plant, Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM). This discovery mobilized members of the Barnes/Eau Claire Lakes Area Property Owners Association, Inc. into action to propose and, with Town approval, to establish a community-wide EWM Ad Hoc Committee to address the issue. The Committee would represent the Barnes Town Board, who became the grant applicant.

The ensuing grant included a three-part plan to: 1 - establish baseline aquatic plant data and the presence of EWM in our lakes; 2 - develop an information and education program to enlighten citizens about the detrimental affects of EWM upon lakes and property values; and 3 - initiate the Clean Boats Clean Waters (CBCW) program to educate the boating public about the importance of removing aquatic vegetation from boats and trailers. The formidable EWM challenge brought Barnes together in a united community effort to battle the EWM threats.

The Barnes project included 27 lakes in the following portions of Bayfield and Douglas Counties: in Bayfield County: T44N, 9W and 45N,9W. In Douglas county: T44N, R10W and T45N, R 10W. The lakes and project area are within the jurisdiction of the Town of Barnes in Bayfield County and the Towns of Highland and Gordon in Douglas County. (See Appendix 1)

Lakes in the study area were divided into two groups depending on the type of survey planned to be conducted. In addition to determining the presence of EWM, all other plants are identified, establishing a baseline that may be used for future comparison.

Tier 1 survey lakes (14 lakes) are all seepage lakes (most with public landings) used extensively for fishing and recreational boating. These lakes were to be surveyed using a combination visual/sampling method examining weed beds throughout the entire lake and aquatic plant identification. (These lakes are identified in the following table as Survey Type 1.) This survey protocol is mostly a qualitative sample looking for the plant species without a large concern for their specific locations. A map sketch was made to identify general locations. The primary focus was to determine the presence of EWM.

Tier 2 survey lakes (13 lakes) include the 11 lakes of the Eau Claire Chain of Lakes, plus the two infested lakes, Tomahawk and Sandbar .The survey protocol of Tier 2 lakes involves predetermined sample points identified by their latitude/longitude in a grid of points that are located by GPS (Global Positioning System) methodology. Each point is examined and plants identified at each point. (Survey Type 2 in Table shown on the next page) Survey protocol 2 is designed to examine the aquatic plant community in a qualitative (what species are there) and a quantitative manner. (numbers and specific locations)