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August 2009 Published by Scugog Lake Stewards Inc. Vol. 3 Number 3 The weevils have landed. Mission accomplished! We are pleased to report that two years of extensive research and lobbying efforts on behalf of the lake by the Scugog Lake Stewards have come to fruition. In early July our implementation committee consisting of President, Jamie Ross, Vice-presidents, Larry Corrigan and Barbara Karthein as well as Dr. Eric Sager of Trent University, facilitat- ed the successful planting by EnviroScience Inc. biologists, of twenty thousand weevils in a massive bed of milfoil near King’s Bay.” We are indebted to all agencies, government and non-gov- ernment for their assistance and support. A special thanks is due Joan Chamberlain, Manager Resources Conservation with the Trent- Severn Waterway (TSW) who gave hours of her time to expedite the thanks should also go to Dr. Sager for helping to prepare the special Re- search and Collec- tion Permit required by Parks Canada. He has also offered to incorporate our pilot project in a study and provide the help of two graduate students in late summer for independent follow-up. And of course, we are indebted to the Baagwating Community Association for funding this exciting pilot project that is being followed closely throughout the TSW and the Kawartha Lakes The Stewards faced numerous challenges with this proj- ect. Not the least was finding that this year there were insuf- ficient quantities of Eurasian milfoil in Port Perry and Rowing Club bays to justify a pilot project. Township cutting did not interfere as chosen implantation sites were outside the lanes Jean Sloan, EnviroScience biologist, emerging from the lake covered in milfoil. cut early in June for the Dragon Boat races. Of interest, their harvesting resulted in far fewer weeds than expected. As you know, the last two years in June and July you could almost walk across these bays. Why the milfoil is not there Milfoil weed beds blooming in early spring on Scugog. this year, nobody knows. It could be caused by colder water temperatures, higher water, winter kill, lack of extreme sun- shine or virtually anything else. However, a very suitable site with dense milfoil was found in the north of the lake which should allow excellent interpretation of the value of implant- ing extra quantities of these tiny milfoil eating bugs. The Stewards also faced many other challenges getting this project underway, notably that additional permits were required at the last minute and four hours were spent at the Canadian border with the delicate weevils in coolers. The last days were extremely hectic. The most interesting aspect of the project was that the plants, which appeared to be Eurasian milfoil from the sur- face, and grew in the same matted, thick fashion, were in fact NEITHER Eurasian milfoil NOR the native Northem milfoil but rather what may be a new hybrid. Close examination indicated the plants already had an approximately 1% infes- tation with milfoil weevils already present in the lake. Large growth areas of the same type of milfoil were then found by Dr. Sager in Pigeon Lake three days after our discovery in Lake Scugog. The hybrid has been sent for genetic analysis. We will be conducting follow-up site analysis at the end of August or early September and will keep you informed. FOCUS - AUGUST 2009 29