Winds kept us off Lake Michigan and away from our task on Sunday, but Monday dawned with warm sunshine and calm waters.
We set out to treat invasive Phragmites on High Island.
As you can see on this map, High Island sits on the west side of Beaver Island (that’s the top portion of Beaver Island in the lower center), and is a much greater distance to travel from our good harbor, than it was to Garden Island the other day.
Weather is always a concern on the great lakes. Last year – and possibly the year before that, too – the treatment on this island was not completed due to inclement weather and travel concerns. We wanted to be sure to attend to it this year..
Dave Blanchard, who had helped us on Garden Island, couldn’t make this trip. Stan Eagle agreed to come along.
[Stan Eagle – a…
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cindyricksgers 
Hi Cindy
Good luck with your battle against invasive phragmities. I didn’t know it grows to 20 feet high. I always thought of it as swamp grass. It shouldn’t be a problem in higher ground, or am I wrong.
You mentioned the wind. When I crossed the Mackinac Bridge I noticed many wind turbines. Do ou have any on Beaver Island? I’ll bet one could provide enough energy to power the whole island.
Bill Bolen
Hi Bill,
Invasive Phragmites is mostly a problem along shorelines or in low places…ditches, utility corridors, swamps, streams and wetlands. The native variety tops out at about six feet tall, and has bronze colored stalks in the Fall of the year. The invasive variety grows twenty feet tall, and shoots out runners fifty feet long. It can quickly take over an area, making it uninhabitable to other plants as well as native wildlife.
Talk of wind turbines is frequent and interesting, but there are issues to consider. We are taking inventory of birds and bats and their migratory patterns…one negative aspect of the turbines is that they disturb those patterns. It is certainly a solution I’d prefer to the oil wells that are often frequently suggested! At this time, we have an electrical generating plant, and receive electricity from the mainland as well. Thanks for reading, and for your comments!