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This Is Not an Inconvenience. It Is a Threat.
Dense EWM beds create swimming entanglement hazards, foul boat motors, and critically impair search and rescue operations. In fall 2023, two canoeists drowned in Serenity Bay. Recovery operations took 18 days. The Douglas County Sheriff cited EWM as a contributing factor.
Waterfront property values are directly tied to lake health and usability. Lakes with uncontrolled invasive vegetation see measurable declines in property values โ and in the desirability that makes the Flowage worth owning on.
With 4,501 documented boat launches in just 46 days in 2025, the Flowage is heavily used. Dense EWM mats block access to fishing areas, foul propellers, and make navigation dangerous โ degrading the experience that brings people here.
EWM outcompetes native plants, displaces wild rice, and collapses the ecological diversity that makes the Flowage a living, healthy system. Without intervention, the problem compounds every season.
"The Douglas County Sheriff's Office supports this grant application as a public safety measure that will reduce hazards for the thousands of residents and visitors who use the Minong Flowage annually. Invasive species management protects not only water quality and property values, but also the safety of people enjoying Wisconsin's public waters."
State of the Lake: Fall 2025
The most recent professional survey (August 2025) mapped 37 distinct EWM beds covering approximately 257 acres โ the second-highest figure ever recorded on the Flowage.
A 2024 point-intercept survey found EWM at 27.4% of sampling points, exceeding the 2008 pre-management baseline of 22.8%. This is not a problem maintenance-level management will solve. It requires meaningful intervention.
See the Full Survey Data
Reach every Flowage property owner โ on every page of this website, on the homepage, and in every mass email we send.
Corporate Partnerships start at $2,500. Your sponsorship directly funds milfoil treatment and lake management โ and your neighbors will know it.
Become a Corporate Sponsor
Two Decades of Fighting Back
EWM was first confirmed in the Flowage in 2002. Since then the MFA has pursued five state grants, thousands of volunteer hours, and herbicide treatments in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, and 2023 โ plus biological controls, physical removal, and a major drawdown.
No single approach has solved the problem. Every season has deepened our understanding of what this lake requires for long-term health.
Read the Full Management HistoryOur 2026 Management Plan
The MFA is pursuing a targeted ProcellaCOR EC treatment of approximately 40 acres across five priority zones. Our permit application was filed with the Wisconsin DNR in February 2026 and is currently under review.
Whatever the outcome of permitting, we are committed to effective management โ that's what the Save the Flowage campaign is designed to sustain.
See the Full 2026 Plan
How We Fight Milfoil: The Full Toolkit
The MFA has researched and applied every recognized management method โ herbicide treatment, mechanical harvesting, drawdown, physical removal, and biological controls. An integrated approach produces the most durable results at Flowage scale.
What the Science SaysWild Rice and Our Management Approach
The Flowage's wild rice beds hold ecological and cultural significance. The MFA has mapped wild rice since 2008 and treats their protection as a design constraint in all management decisions. The 2026 treatment zones explicitly exclude all identified rice locations.
Wild Rice & Native Plants