New ways to solve lake challenges discussed at PLPOA annual meeting

Invasive Eurasian Milfoil in Pleasant Lake

Lisa Brush, Executive Director of The Stewardship Network, encouraged the audience of about 30 Freedom Township residents who attended the April 9th annual meeting of the Pleasant Lake Property Owners Association (PLPOA) to find new ways to work together in a cooperative manner to find solutions to lake threats. The focus of her briefing, titled: Securing Resources to Care for Your Land and Water, centered on breaking down barriers and developing new concepts for cooperation to solve challenges.

Pleasant Lake is the headwaters of Mill Creek which feeds into the Huron River and has a large wetlands watershed. The lake association has been participating in the state-wide cooperative lakes monitoring program for two decades to track lake conditions and identify changes. In 2013 lake residents secured approval from the Freedom Township Board to participate in a five-year tax Special Assessment District program (coordinated by Washtenaw County) to assess lake conditions and perform lake management on an annual basis. The 200-acre Pleasant Lake had a large infestation of aquatic invasive species (AIS), which are non-native plants that choke out native plants and interfere with fishing and recreational boating.

The goal of the PLPOA is to keep Pleasant Lake safe, maintain clean water for wells, and protect the wetlands and streams from other natural or man-made challenges such as poorly planned development, pollution run-off, pipeline accidents, and invasive species.

Lisa Brush, Executive Director, Stewardship Network talking with Freedom Township residents during the 9 April PLPOA meeting.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.