Be a Weed Watcher…
Help keep Manchaug Pond free of invasive species! Share the mission of our Aquatic Plant Survey Team at the boat ramp, dock, campsites, roadsides and along the shore and in the water!
Early detection and removal is the key!
If we all monitor the pond, we can remove invasives before they spread!
If you see an invasive…
- pull or cut it out
- bag it
- and dispose of it away from the lake
- note the location where you found it and contact the MPF Aquatic Plant Survey Team
JOIN Manchaug Pond Foundation's Aquatic Plant Survey Team
The MPF has trained* team leaders of volunteers who annually survey Manchaug Pond in a 50 plus point grid identifying all submerged aquatic plants, monitoring existing plant varieties, tracking size of weed bed growth, watchful for new invasives, and following up in kayak and snorkel! We want you to join us in our important work in keeping these invasive weeds from Manchaug Pond.
*Training: Special thanks to DCR Lakes and Ponds Program's Tom Flannery and Jim Straub as well as Lycott Environmental for initial traing sessions. Current volunteers receive hands-on instruction in action as part of the team.
“On a global basis…the two great destroyers of biodiversity are, first, habitat destruction, and second, invasion by exotic species…”
E.O. Wilson, Strangers in Paradise, 1997
“Nature abhors a vacuum.”
Aristotle (384 - 322 BC)
Invasives ~ Know the lake’s enemy!
What are invasive species?
Invasive species, Asian Clam, can be successfully controlled with lake-level drawdown.
Our lakes and ponds contain a wide variety of native plants and animals that are essential to a healthy ecosystem. These native species originated here in new England and are well adapted to our climate and to other species that live here. however, many “non-native” or “exotic species have been brought here from other parts of the country and the world. Some of these species are considered “invasive” because they are able to dominate or significantly alter an area’s ecology. Once established, they continue to spread to additional locations by hitching rides on boats, trailers, gear, and in bait buckets.
When invasive species enter a water body, they can have a devastating impact. Since the local ecosystems has not developed natural controls (animals or other plants to limit their growth) invasive species may spread rapidly.
Why are they harmful?
- Many invasive plants form dense mats of vegetation that can restrict boating, fishing, and swimming, and make the waterways entirely impassable.
- Many native plants and animals cannot compete for space or food with exotic species, and are crowded out or eliminated from the area.
- The aesthetic appeal, recreational value, and surrounding property values may quickly decline as the invasives species take over.
- The microscopic larval stage of Zebra Mussel and Asian Clam can easily travel undetected in bilge bait and livewell water. They can proliferate at an alarming rate and frequently destroy boat motors, buoys, and fishing gear. Their razor sharp shells often create a hazard for beach visitors.
- Once invasive plants and animals are established, they are almost impossible to eradicate.
How can you help? Know that your activities make a difference!
Your activities matter: at home, at the campground, at the lake, on the water, or living in the watershed:
Before you visit:
- Clean your boats before bringing to the lake. Remove all plants and animals from your boat motor, trailer, anchors, fishing gear, and dive gear and dispose of them on dry land, well away from the water or in a trash can.
- Flush engines and dispose of live-well, bait bucket, and cooling water away from the shore after each use.
- Never release any plant or animal into a body of water unless it came out of that body of water.
- Never empty aquariums into a water-body.
- Inspect and wash your boat, preferably with hot water, and allow it to completely dry before entering another body of water.
- Be a weed watcher while you’re at the lake and/or join the MPF’s survey teams.
Information courtesy of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Lakes and Ponds Program
At the lake, home or campsite, on the water, and in the watershed:
- Clean your boats before bringing to the lake.
- Avoid weedy coves! Your propeller captures and brings back plant fragments to your dock where they drop and root.
- Remove floating weed fragments from lake or that wash up on the beach/shore - dry and burn or compost or bag and dispose.
- Fertilize your lawn not the lake or impervious surfaces! Runoff from your landscape will fertilize lake plants causing them to grow. Leave a buffer unfertilized between the lawn and the lake, don't fertilize before a rain storm, use half the recommended amount, and only no phosphorus formulations (middle number should be zero)
- Don't bring in sand to your beach or shore front! - A rocky shore inhibits plant growth.
- Pet waste is a source of bacteria and fertilizer: remove, bag and dispose or bury away from the lake shore.
Think prevention, control, and eradication!
The Most UNWanted!
Let’s keep these invasives out of Manchaug Pond!
If you see, contact us ASAP so the Weed Watcher teams can respond right away! Click the photo for a link to learn more about each non-native invasive.
Eurasian Milfoil
Eurasian Milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)
Diagram of Eurasian milfoil
European Water Chestnut (Trapa natans)
The “nut” or fruit is about one inch in size with four 1/2″ barbs.
Hydrilla (Hydrilla Verticillata)
Diagram of hydrilla
Parrot Feather
Parrot Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)
Diagram of Parrot Feather
European Naiad
European Naiad
(Najas minor)
Diagram of European Naiad
Curly-leaf Pondweed
Pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)
Diagram of Curly-leaf pondweed
Waterweed
South American Waterweed (Egeria densa)
Diagram of South American Waterweed
Purple Loosestrife
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Diagram of Purple Loosestrife
Zebra Mussels
Zebra mussels on a stick
Zebra Mussel
(Dreissena polymorpha)
Established Invaders we need to keep in check!
Asian Clam
Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminca) Not to be confused with our native mussel.
Diagram of Asian Clam
Fanwort
Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana)
Diagram of Fanwort
Variable Milfoil
Variable Milfoil
(Myriophyllum heterophyllum)
Variable Milfoil
(Myriophyllum heterophyllum)
Yellow Flag Iris
Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus)
Common Reed
Common Reed (Phragmites australis )
Diagram of Common Reeds
Learn More & Get Involved:
Click each to learn more! Contact us to observe a team in action:
- Aquatic Plant Survey Team (one 2 1/2 hour session one afternoon in August)
- D.A.S.H Team/Boat for Manchaug Pond (in the planning stages so help get it on the water!)
- Water Sampling & Testing
- On-Lake (once/month May-October)
- Watershed (second Saturday morning of the month April-November)
- Laboratory with Blackstone River Watershed Association (BRWA)
- Stream Team (in the planning stages)
Guide to Non-native Aquatic Invasive Species in Massachusetts
NY DEC’s Algae Identification Website
Management under the Wetlands Protection Act
Eutrophication and Aquatic Plant Management
Mass NPS Pollution Management Manual: Chapt. 7 Lake Management
DCR Guide to Lake Management
Research on Winter Drawdown for Aquatic Invasive Control
WI Conference 2016 Presentation on Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting
Evaluation of Non-Native Plants
Nature Conservency’s Handbook on Weed Control Methods
Watch for Winter Lake-level Drawdown
Since 1990, lake-level drawdown has been employed to control aquatic plants and keep them in check in Manchaug Pond. The Manchaug Pond Foundation advocates for this no-cost, effective method of weed control with the lake's dam owner. With a shallow shoreline of less than five feet, drawdown offers a good knock down of invasives at beaches and docks.
Control is dependent on depth of drawdown and winter weather which contributes to the freezing and drying of shoreline soils. Snow cover and lack of freezing temperatures can impede to the process. Visit our Waterlevel & Dam page for details.
DON'T LET THIS BE YOU!
EEK! don't bring harmful bacteria to the lake. Walk pets away from the lake and shore. Dispose of properly!
Don't fertilize near the lake, on impervious surfaces like driveways, and not before a rain event.
Car washing near water resources does negatively impact the lake! Do it on the lawn or at a professional car wash.