State of the Lake: End of Year Report; 2025
On the 18th ,25th,and 26th of October, Peter Meleady and a crew of five workers gave the final cut of Phragmites on Lake Marion for the year 2025.
The cut was very successful. This was the first time in approximately 16 years that we managed to cut all areas in three days. This was due to several factors:
The Phragmites have consistently declined over the years
The use of waders by the crew, which enabled us to get to marginal areas that cannot be accessed by boat, or by wearing wellingtons
The use of several extended mechanical cutters
A dry summer which allowed us to cut in many areas that are usually difficult to access
The cut carried out during the summer greatly reduced the vigor and load of the Phragmites that we had to deal with this fall
A great crew
I hope that next year we will be able to complete all areas within three days for both cutting periods. The Phragmites have been in steady decline since we started cutting many years ago. There are some areas where they still grow quite tall, however, these are areas that we did not have the time to cut in previous years. Now due to the reduction of the Phragmites mass in general and due to our more efficient cutting strategies we should manage better control in the future.
Every year new native species have been observed and recorded. This year for the first time on site I spotted the Royal fern (Osmunda regalis), and Carolina rose (Rosa carolina). I will be compiling a full list of native plant species found in and on the lake margins soon. In many areas native vegetation has replaced what were once areas dominated by monocultural stands of dense Phragmites.
The water of the lake appears very healthy, and is home to a wide variety of native plants and animals.
Special thanks to: Rafe and Mike for organizing the cut, sorting out payment etc., and, the coffee, bagels, and waders. Elizabeth for her yearly door to door collecting, Rory for the ongoing development of the website and, of course to all those who have contributed financially and otherwise, making this amazing project possible.
Kind regards,
Peter