Dan Mishler, chair of LCA's phragmites committee, leads a public awareness session at the Charlevoix Public Library.

Phragmites Control Project is Under Way

Your Lake Charlevoix Association has just received a $5,000 grant from the Charlevoix County Community Foundation that will enable it to move forward rapidly in its plan to control phragmites australis, an invasive grass that is threatening our shoreline. The program includes training for volunteers and application of a water-safe herbicide shortly after Labor Day.

Invasive phragmites is a prolific and aggressive plant that can dominate any moist area in a short time, virtually eliminating other plants in the process. It grows to 16 feet tall and can become so dense that it's difficult even to walk through. In our preliminary, shorefront survey, done this winter, we found over 100 sites where the plants are started, but we believe that we caught it early enough to treat it successfully. We must act now!

Don't try to remove it yourself. You can make it worse!

Please become informed and work with LCA to help ensure success! Please read on.
Phragmites! We Can Be Mightier.
Excellent overview article
An interactive map showing the locations of phragmites stands on Lake Charlevoix
LCA Phragmites Brochure
Call to Action Letter to shorefront owners
LCA Project Timelines
9&10 News Report on Lake Charlevoix Phragmites
Upcoming Educational Seminars
View Printable Permission Form
Invasive Phragmites Information from Charlevoix County
National Park Service Gov. slide presentation
Educational phragmites video

Last year we printed a long article about the low water level in Lake Charlevoix. What a difference a year makes. The U.S. Corps of Engineers, who officially checks and records water data, reported that the levels of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron were eleven inches higher on May 1 of this year than at the same time one year ago. Since Lake Charlevoix is directly connected to Lake Michigan, through the Pine River and Round Lake, we were also eleven inches higher. A heavy winter snow pack throughout the upper Great Lakes and a colder winter are the main reasons for the increase. Since the snowmelt is a primary cause of the increase, the water level will continue its annual, seasonal rise, until about the middle of June. So enjoy a wetter Lake Charlevoix and if you haven't put your dock in yet make sure you set it higher.Click here to view a graph of the levels for recent years.