Funding

Finding the right mechanisms for collecting funds is important. If major costs of the program are being funded by private contributions, outline a schedule for collecting committed donations. Local funds may be provided by financing through special community club or lake association assessments. It is best to start such an assessment process well in advance of the need for initial outlay of funds. Forming a lake management district (LMD) is a way to procure funds through special tax assessments. Timely completion of grant applications is critical if funding has been secured through competitive, cost-sharing grant programs such as the Aquatic Weeds Management Fund (Appendix E) or the Centennial Grant Fund (both administered by Department of Ecology). 

Implementation Needs Management

Once the plan is approved by the community, start lining up volunteers for parts of the program where citizen labor can be used. It may be beneficial for your association or club to expand the functions of the steering committee or establish a special aquatic plant management committee to oversee the long-term management program. Whether the project is large and complex or small and simple, each facet of the program will need to be managed.

Monitoring Program Effectiveness

A carefully designed aquatic plant management program can be successful and satisfying. But it also requires long-term commitment and flexibility. Depending on the severity of problems in the water body, it can take many years to achieve specific management goals. Furthermore, conditions in the water body or community needs may change over time. As a result, an aquatic plant management program must include a monitoring element to regularly evaluate treatment effectiveness and recommend program adjustments as needed. The effectiveness of the overall program should be assessed on an annual basis at a minimum. Progress in meeting management goals can be quantitatively tracked by directly sampling/measuring problem plant populations at strategic times during the year. Staff with Ecology's Freshwater Aquatic Weeds Management Program can provide assistance in planning a monitoring project for your water body.

TIP: An example of monitoring protocols currently used by Thurston County to assess aquatic plant management program effectiveness is presented at the end of Appendix C of this Manual.

On a more informal note, it may also be helpful to conduct periodic surveys of the community to gain their impressions of effectiveness of the program. During the implementation phase, it's important to be patient, be realistic in your expectations, and keep the lines of communication open!

Keeping Everyone Informed

It is critical to keep the community informed about the progress of the control project. In particular, give advance notice of any inconveniences that might be experienced by users of the water body as a consequence of in-lake activities. The community will want to know about the findings of post-treatment monitoring and evaluation of the control effectiveness. In going through the planning process described in this manual, you have already started the educational ball rolling. Through public meetings, newsletters, barbecues, and local media coverage, you've gotten word out that a problem exists in your water body but there’s a way to tackle it. Continue to use informational avenues that have worked for you to update the community on important aspects or results of the control program.

In following the planning steps in this Manual, you have created a unique document—your PLAN. The Plan describes the best path to integrated aquatic plant management in your water body. Good luck in your aquatic plant management efforts!

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