Higgins Lake Swimmer's Itch Organization

As the summer season concludes, we reflect upon another year where Swimmers Itch was not a significant issue for our community It proved to be an extraordinary year for lake associations, like ours, who rely on Trap and Release methods to control the problem. Due to the presence of avian flu, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) suspended permits for such activities in 2022. The full impact of this suspension will become more apparent on other lakes in 2023. However, we were fortunate that no broods needed removal from Higgins Lake this year. While migration still plays a role, the number of cases was minimal, and we considered ourselves fortunate to have evaded this challenge when our primary tool was unavailable.

The avian flu has witnessed a substantial reduction in recent months. However, its complete eradication remains uncertain until spring. The influence of migration on the viability of the flu in 2023 will be closely monitored in the coming months. Whether restrictions on Trap and Release methods will be imposed again is yet to be determined.

One fact remains certain: the Swimmers Itch problem is most prominent with the presence of common merganser ducks and their interaction with Stagnicola snails. Our research in 2021 revealed that the potential for Swimmers Itch from the Canada goose cycle with Helisoma snails is significantly lower than previously suggested. Therefore, our focus should primarily be on controlling common mergansers to effectively manage Swimmers Itch.

In 2022, we initiated a study to identify when and where Swimmers Itch cases were reported on Higgins Lake. We intend to continue collecting data for this study in 2023 to identify potential patterns that could guide our future actions. Please refer to the research study report for more detailed information.

Regarding avian flu, its viability in 2023 remains uncertain. We are yet to determine whether restrictions on relocating ducks will be necessary again. Winter discussions have already been scheduled with the DNR to evaluate this situation.

We extend our gratitude for your past participation and encouragement. The success we have achieved in combating Swimmers Itch is a testament to the unwavering support of the Higgins Lake community. The HLSIO board is fully committed to utilizing proven methods to control the spread of Swimmers Itch in the future. Moreover, we will continue our pursuit of new and more effective approaches.

We wish everyone a joyful holiday season and a Merry Christmas.

Sincerely,

Your HLSIO Board

Melanie Brown, Bill Carey, Phil Czech, Duncan Lawrence, Dale McDonald, John Ogren, Mike Purkey, and Greg Semack

Due to what the DNR describes as a highly pathogenic avian flu that has already affected
both wild birds and commercial flocks, relocation of merganser ducks and Canada geese
will not be permitted this year. So for 2022, Swimmer’s Itch solutions will not be trapping
and relocating merganser broods this summer and we will not be conducting our Canada
goose round up as we had in past years in late June. How this will affect Higgins Lake
this summer remains to be seen.
In the past two summers we have not had merganser broods on the lake and relocation
was not necessary. But the zero brood scenario was highly unusual and seems unlikely
to continue. An important result of our relocation program that began in 2015 is that the
snail infection rate of the SI cycle has been kept to an extremely low percentage. Our
program has definitely been a factor in keeping mergansers from returning in the
numbers that we had seen in the past, but yearly migration does allow for new birds to
view Higgins Lake as a breeding ground.
For now, we will be pursuing whatever paths may be available to us and that we feel may
help reduced SI on Higgins Lake. We have some thoughts about what we may be able to
do and we have some research ideas to think about, but the relocation program is on
hold.
We would ask that everyone continue to report broods and Swimmer’s Itch cases by
using the link found here on the website. We will use the information to continue our data
to analyze for future reference.

Hello Higgins Lake Swimmers Itch supporter,
As we come to the end of the year we want to update everyone on the HLSIO
activities of 2021 and what we look ahead to in the future. Attached you will find
the year end report and the summary of the results of a research study that we
sponsored during the 2021 season.
The really great news is that Higgins Lake once again had no broods to remove
this summer. What we would have considered an impossible scenario has now
taken place for two consecutive years. Once again we experienced a very low
level of Swimmers Itch cases that were reported this summer. Although
migratory birds can still perpetuate the problem even if they are only on our lake
for short periods of time, the absence of Common Merganser broods goes a
long way toward keeping the number of SI cases small.
Our summer research problem was a real eye opener. Many of the lakes in
Northern Michigan have stayed away from merganser relocation based on the
presence of a similar parasite from a Helisoma snail that cycles with the Canada
Goose. Other lake associations believed that the goose / Helisoma parasite was
a large part of their problem and that Common Merganser relocation was simply
not enough. To this end, they stopped merganser relocation and relied on
protective clothing and / or avoidance of time spent in their lakes to keep SI to a
minimum.
Our research project gives strong evidence that the Helisoma parasite does
NOT act similarly to the Merganser / Stagnicola snail parasite and causes
virtually no cases of SI. Although similar in physical characteristics, the
Helisoma parasite seems to have very little else in common with the Stagnicola
parasite and continued testing produced no significant SI in the study’s test
subjects. Please read the report to see more deeply into how the study was
conducted and the specifics of the results.
Looking ahead to 2022, we intend to continue to do the things that we have
found to serve us best in the past. We will once again work with Swimmer’s itch
Solutions, Dr Curt Blankespoor and Dr Randy DeJong, to monitor our lake and
remove any Common Merganser broods that might appear on Higgins Lake. We
are also considering doing additional research work that can help us diminish
Swimmers Itch further in the future.
The HLSIO appreciates all you do to support our efforts to keep Higgins
Lake beautiful — from your encouraging comments, to practical hands-on
assistance and financial support .  If it aligns with your year-end planning,

consider making a donation, postmarked by December 31, to take
advantage of the tax deduction allowed given our status as a 501(c)(3)
organization.  
Although it’s possible that Swimmers Itch may never be totally eliminated, we do
feel as though we continue to achieved our objective of lowering the incident of
SI to a manageable state. To this end, your support has been the basis of our
activities. The entire Higgins lake community has been the beneficiary of your
past support. If the year-end is a good time for you to help HLSIO with a tax
deductible donation, please continue to support us in doing this good work.
100% of the donations we receive are used to fund our programs. HLSIO is a
501c(3) tax exempt organization. Donations mailed with a postmark by
December 31 st are eligible for a tax deduction and will help support our initiatives
for future years. HLSIO’s mailing address is:
P. O. Drawer 665, Grayling, MI 49738

HLSIO Board
Bill Carey, Melanie Brown, Neal Cooley, Phil Czech, Dale McDonald, John
Ogren, Greg Semack,

2020 Letter to HLSIO Supporters

Higgins Lake Swimmer’s Itch Organization
P.O. Drawer 665, Grayling, MI 49738

Dear HLSIO supporter,

Forgive me if I seem thrilled to say …. As we come to the end of 2020 …..

I’m including here (attached) your HLSIO year–end report based on the 2020 work done by Swimmer’s Itch Solutions (SIS) on Higgins Lake. If there is a highlight to this calendar year it may be that Higgins Lake saw no Common Merganser broods on the lake this summer which contributed to another season of very low incidence of Swimmer’s Itch.

Our goals at the beginning of the season were to continue to do the things that have been successful for us in the past and to do the things necessary to be able to continue our successful program in the future. To this end, we once again contracted with SIS, Dr. Curt Blankespoor and Dr. Randy Dejong, to be in charge of monitoring the lake wide swimmer’s itch (SI) conditions and addressing the remedies to minimize SI at Higgins Lake.

We conducted two studies this summer to assess the infection of snails which are the source of the parasite that causes SI. On July 8th SIS examined 2063 Stagnicola snails, the species that pairs with common merganser ducks, and found none to be infected. This study was confirmed later in the summer when members of the HLPOA Environmental Committee collected water samples at 8 locations, on four different dates, for Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis. While some samples showed a slight indication of DNA signal, the results also indicated that the existence of SI parasites was negligible.

A second snail study was done this summer as there has been recent evidence that Canada Geese and Helisoma snails can possibly introduce an SI parasite. We examined 257 Helisoma snails collected lake wide and found that none of these snails were infected. This was especially good news because we were not permitted this summer to do Canada Geese relocation as we had in the previous two years, due to state restrictions based on COVID concerns. We believe the potential for SI from Canada Geese is low based on the snail infection level that was found, but we still intend to relocate Canada Geese in the future so as to minimize potential of SI to the Higgins Lake community.

Looking ahead, we had new relocation sites assessed this summer for DNR approval to insure our ability to relocated mergansers in the future. The cost of this assessment was shared by Crystal Lake as their interests parallel our own to be able to maintain an ongoing trapping and relocation program.

Please take a minute and read the 2020 report to familiarize yourself with the details of what I have summarized here. The SIS summary conclusion is worth noting.

“Both avian schistosome metrics (snail infection levels and qPCR) strongly suggest the common merganser brood relocation program has, and will continue to, significantly reduced swimmer’s itch on Higgins Lake. There is every reason to believe that this program alone is responsible for the significant decrease in SI cases since 2015.”

This conclusion is also endorsed by the HLSIO board and is the result of the continued participation of our supporters. SI may never be totally eliminated but our past efforts have proven to be successful in reducing it to a level of minimal inconvenience. Your HLSIO board continues to work to achieve the best possible outcome concerning Swimmer’s Itch at Higgins Lake. And to this end, 100 % of the funding we receive goes to subsidize our program. HLSIO is a 501c(3) tax exempt organization. Donations mailed with a postmark by December 31st are eligible for a tax deduction and will help support our initiatives for future years. HLSIO’s mailing address is:

P. O. Drawer 665, Grayling, MI 49738

Thank you again for your support. Your contributions have been the basis for our success. Please visit our website, lightcoral-boar-771930.hostingersite.com/ for updates in the future.

Safe and Happy Holidays to all.

Greg Semack
President, HLSIO

Your HLSIO Board

Melanie Brown, Bill Carey, Neal Cooley, Phil Czech, Dale McDonald, John Ogren, Greg Semack, Bob Schneider

For the past two years HLSIO relocated Canada Geese from Higgins Lake, but regrettably will be unable to continue the program in 2020. The relocation of Canada Geese is a US Department of Agriculture program that is managed and permitted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, DNR. Our application to continue the program in 2020 was rejected by the DNR in May. The rejection was appealed but again rejected in early June. The appeal was based on the potential for geese to cause swimmers itch and concern for shoreline pollution from goose waste. In the following rejection to our appeal, the DNR cites COVID-19 restrictions and State of Michigan spending limitations as the reasons for the rejection. We hope to be able to continue the relocation program in 2021

“Thank you for your email and providing some background information.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to issue a permit this year for Higgins Lake as it does not meet the very limited criteria.  Let me provide some additional background.

Our programmatic changes are in response to the economic impact to state revenue collections as a result of necessary restrictions put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and the Governor-issued Executive Directive 2020-03 on March 30, 2020, Restrictions on Discretionary Spending During COVID-19 Emergency, which places limits on all state spending.  Only a portion of the Canada Goose Round-up Program has been identified as meeting exemption 3. c. “Activities critical to protecting the health, safety, or welfare or Michigan residents, including residents of a state institution or facility”.  Based on that exemption, Canada goose round-up may continue this year only to address instances where Canada geese need to be removed from a site for human health and safety risks – we have no approval to remove geese on sites for nuisance or aesthetic reasons.  The Michigan DNR hires a contractor to handle the goose removal permitting program.  We pay the contractor for time spent on permitting, coordination with goose round-up contractors, release site oversight and follow-up reporting paperwork.  Due to budgetary situations, it was necessary to reduce the contractual agreement with the vendor.  In order to stay within the contractual agreement, fewer hours must be spent on oversight by the vendor, and therefore fewer permitted sites are being approved for round-up permits.  The sites that will be permitted include sites where geese interfere with the safety of business practices like automobile proving grounds.  Other improved sites include places where large numbers of the general public who already have health concerns are likely to come into contact with concentrated goose droppings and thus posing a health risk to a large number of people at one site – like at hospitals and nursing homes.

The State of Michigan has been fortunate in the past to fund the oversight of the goose round up program at levels that have allowed for removal of geese on private properties like your lake.  It simply is not possible to fund the program at this level this summer.   It is unclear what our funding situation will be in future years.  I understand this does not help you with your individual situation and in no way am I discrediting the inconvenience of your situation at Higgins Lake.  However, goose round-up activities are only being conducted at sites that meet the high criteria risk level and your situation does not meet those high criteria of risk.  You are encouraged to try some alternative techniques to deter geese from properties around Higgins Lake (e.g., fencing, scare tactics, leaving tall grass around the water’s edge, etc.).  Please let me know if you would like more information about any of these techniques. 

Your 2020 Round Up (Capture) and hold Canada Geese Permit Application and application fees will be returned.  I realize this is not the answer you were hoping for and I understand your frustration.  I hope the explanation for the denial of your permit has at least clarified why you do not qualify for the program this year. 

Thank you for your understanding and hopefully next year, the situation will be different for all of us. 

Sincerely,

Barbara Avers

Waterfowl and Wetlands Specialist

Michigan Department of Natural Resources”