Category: Archives, News

Dear HLSIO supporter,

As 2023 draws to an end, we want to report to you the latest update of your Swimmers Itch (SI) program. During 2023 we saw a return of merganser broods to Higgins Lake without the ability to relocate them for the first time since 2015. We used the summer season to study several aspects of SI control. One study looked at the gestation period of the SI parasite in the ducks. The second study was a continuation of data collection of water exposures to better understand the specific details of where and when SI cases are occurring on Higgins Lake.

New to our website this season was the incorporation of donations accepted via PayPal to help make that process easier for our supporters. And website additions are continually made to give our community access to updated and newsworthy topics regarding SI.

As many of you already know, the DNR has suspended our relocation permit for the past two summers based on their concerns regarding the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). In their opinion, stopping merganser relocation prevents HPAI transmission to commercial poultry operations. To date, DNR has provided no information that supports this conclusion, and we will continue to work with them to understand their reasoning for the permit suspension and provide potential solutions to address their concerns and end the suspension. In addition, we have been working with Crystal Lake, who has had great success using the relocation program to control their SI cases in prior years. Crystal Lake suffered a large increase in SI cases in 2023 due to the suspension of the relocation program and the increase in merganser broods on their lake. Together we are reaching out to work with the DNR to end our permit suspensions. As of this writing we do not have a firm conclusion about this matter. We intend to continue to communicate our position that suspension of relocation is not warranted based on the scientific information available.

The Higgins Lake community has been a consistent supporter of SI control through relocation. A scientific paper written by Dr Curt Blankespoor and Dr. Randy DeJong about our success has been accepted and will be published in January. Higgins Lake is a large focus of this paper and our success here is now well documented.

HLSIO sponsored an important study during the summer of 2023 which gave clarity to the time parasites become viable after having infected a duckling. It was established that the earliest ducklings were producing parasite eggs was 3 weeks but the number remained very low even through 4 and 5 weeks. By week 7 parasite production was 20 to 30 times greater. This data confirms our strategy of relocation at less than 3 weeks to break the SI cycle. The report on this research study is contained in the attached SIS Research and Control Report on Higgins lake in 2022-2023.

Other research work that was done this past summer was the addition of more data to our water exposure research study. Now we have two summer’s worth of data which helps us focus on where on the lake, and at what times during the season were SI cases reported. As the data increases we will be able to see if patterns reoccur and we can then search for more targeted methods of combating SI. The report on this study can also be found in the attached SIS Research and Control Report on Higgins Lake in 2022-2023.

The Higgins Lake community has many people to thank for their continued support of the Higgins Lake Swimmers Itch Organization and our efforts over the last nine years. Special thanks can be noted for Jim and Laura Witt for hosting our vital fundraising dinner each summer and to Fred’s of Roscommon for contributing their excellent food and beverage service for the dinner that has provided a delightful evening for all who attend. Thanks to everyone who has donated to HLSIO over the years. The success of our program is based on the generosity of our supporters and their unwavering contributions to our fight.

We hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season.

Your HLSIO Board

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

Welcome to the highly anticipated 2023 summer season at Higgins Lake. The Higgins Lake Swimmers Itch Organization (HLSIO) is gearing up for a productive summer, having already completed our Canada Goose control program for this year. While it is impossible to regulate every goose that visits our lake, we are dedicated to reducing their population. Each goose residing in the lake contributes to an excessive nutrient problem, equivalent to two 50-pound bags of fertilizer.

This summer, we will continue our efforts to study and track reported cases of Swimmer’s Itch, aiming to gather valuable data that may reveal patterns and provide insights for future strategies to minimize the occurrence of this issue.

HLSIO is also excited to sponsor a research study focused on determining the gestation period of new parasites in Common Merganser ducks. This information will enable us to identify the optimal time for duck removal and relocation in order to have the maximum impact on reducing Swimmer’s Itch cases.

Unfortunately, the ongoing presence of Avian Flu in North America presents a challenge. Due to the threat it poses to commercial flocks, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has once again suspended our ability to relocate common mergansers. Despite engaging in discussions and meetings with the DNR personnel we typically work with, we were unable to convince them of the necessity to relocate birds this summer to mitigate Swimmer’s Itch on Higgins Lake. While the absence of broods to relocate in the past two years may help maintain low Swimmer’s Itch case numbers, the success of our program relies on consistent relocation efforts. We are disheartened by the inability to relocate merganser ducks for the second consecutive year. Nevertheless, we remain committed to exploring alternative methods to effectively control Swimmer’s Itch on Higgins Lake this season.

We are pleased to announce that HLSIO will be hosting our annual fundraising dinner on Thursday, August 17th. We extend our gratitude to Jim and Laura Witt, our gracious hosts, and Fred’s of Roscommon, our dedicated caterers, for their ongoing support. This delightful evening plays a vital role in sustaining our fight against Swimmer’s Itch. Stay tuned for more information as summer unfolds.

The HLSIO board considers it an honor to represent the Higgins Lake community and continue the battle against Swimmer’s Itch with the generous support of our donors. The progress achieved thus far is significant and a testament to the goodwill exhibited by the residents of our area.

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, HLSIO.org 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”

Hello HLSIO supporter,

We hope this finds you safe and healthy and optimistic about what summer will be like at Higgins Lake. These are unusual times to say the least, and it sometimes feels as though the rules of everyday life are changing daily. We would like to take a few minutes to give everyone an update on where things stand today regarding our fight against swimmer’s itch (SI).

Your HLSIO board has been quite actively involved in the details of what we will be doing this summer and although some aspects are now different than earlier planned, other aspects will continue as in the past

What’s new?

We are happy to announce our website, www.hlsio.org is now operable. We hope you will find it helpful and informative. Please use the website to continue reporting Common Merganser broods as they appear on our lake. Early and multiple reporting of brood sightings enables us to confirm identification and aid in early brood relocation. Please continue to report any cases of SI you may experience to help us in identifying potential SI hot spots.

As everyone is aware, key players in Lansing have changed per our last statewide election. A consequence of this is that HLSIO will no longer receive state funding through the Michigan Swimmer’s Itch Partnership (MISIP). For the past three years MISIP has provided financial support to be used for combating swimmer’s itch in Michigan. During that time, HLSIO has been able to defer some of our costs by utilizing our portion of the overall funding.

What’s still the same?

HLSIO will again be working with Swimmer’s Itch Solutions (SIS) and Dr. Curt Blankespoor and Dr. Randy DeJong. In addition to trapping and relocating Common Merganser ducks as in the past five years, SIS will be assessing the potential of other waterfowl and snail combinations contributing to SI on Higgins Lake and updating our information on snail infection to determine exactly how we compare today to five years ago. This will give us science-based information about how to proceed in the future to keep swimmer’s itch cases to a minimum. As the season progresses, we will continue to evaluate potential new practices to secure even more knowledge to help us fight SI.

In addition to Merganser duck relocation we will once again be relocating Canadian Geese. It has been determined that these birds may also be contributing to SI and we will be moving them off our lake for the third straight year.

What we have accomplished in the past has been significant but the need to remain vigilant about our future is ongoing. Our current maintenance program is something that we must continue or we risk falling back to infection levels of 6 years ago. In years past, we have made a fundraising request at this time of year. Although we would certainly welcome any contributions at this time we are mindful of the unusual personal and professional impacts that may be caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic. We plan to reevaluate the lake situation later in the season when hopefully there is a clearer understanding of the socioeconomic landscape and we look forward to your support at that time.

We have many reason’s to be optimistic this summer. We continue to be guided by the same successful plan that we have used for the last five years to fight SI. We once again expect that the cases of SI will be minimal and we will be working with the same scientists who have been instrumental in our swimmer’s itch reduction. Your HLSIO board continues our work to look to the future and make sure that we are staying current with methods for SI reduction and seeking to find new ideas to improve results in the coming years.

Thank you for your past support. Your generosity has given Higgins Lake back to our community. The HLSIO board considers it a privilege to work on your behalf as stewards of our initiative to combat the public health problem of swimmer’s itch at Higgins Lake.

Stay safe and enjoy the coming summer.

Your HLSIO Board

Bill Carey, Neal Cooley, Dale McDonald, Ed Nellist, John Ogren, Greg Semack, Bob Schneider, Dianne Wagner