Friends of the lake: Let’s act now, and let’s do it together to protect our lakes from the Eurasian watermilfoil infestation! We have solutions; we have an intervention team made up of volunteers; we have support from multiple levels of government.... We need your help to raise funds toward the purchase of reusable synthetic tarpaulins.

Your donation is a big part of the solution.

Eurasian watermilfoil, a problem well rooted at the bottom of our lake:

Biologists from the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs have made their determination: Petit lac des Cèdres is infested with Eurasian watermilfoil over an area of approximately 16,500 square metres. That’s the equivalent of four football fields. Before the situation deteriorates any further, and before Grand lac des Cèdres becomes contaminated, it is important to intervene as quickly and as forcefully as possible. Vincent Gagné, a scientist at Université Laval, is a subject matter expert and he states that "The earlier the plant's reproduction is slowed, the better chance at success in controlling its propagation." He has noticed that, in several Quebec lakes, when the plant spreads beyond a certain level, it becomes almost impossible to limit its spread. The fate of our lakes is up to us: when considering the results of the inventories, the experts state that it is not too late to intervene in our Cedar lakes.

A very real concern for property owners on the Cedar lakes:

This is not just about the environmental concerns. In fact, the spread of Eurasian watermilfoil gives rise to significant social and economic problems. The weedbeds become a real nightmare for residents who want to enjoy the lake, go for a swim or do water sports. An infestation of Eurasian watermilfoil can also reduce the appeal of properties on affected lakes.

Hope on the horizon ... the installation of synthetic tarpaulins:

Consultation with experts at Université Laval, as well as trials carried out on other lakes in Quebec, lead to the conclusion that the use of synthetic tarps yields excellent results. For example, at Lac des Abénaquis, four years of interventions with synthetic tarps and manual uprooting have reduced the weedbeds by over 75%!

The technique consists of unrolling these tarps on entire weedbeds and anchoring them on the bottom of the lake with metal rods. The tarps stunt the growth of the plants while allowing the flow of gases. The rods ensure that the tarps remain well wedged on the bottom of the lake. The use of synthetic tarps allows us to rotate them between the various weedbeds from year to year. The tarps are installed at the start of the season, removed after eight to 10 weeks, and then cleaned and stored.

Please consult the page Battle for control of Eurasian watermilfoil in Cedar lakes to better understand the role of synthetic tarps and the approach proposed by the APLC.

Fundraising campaign to buy synthetic tarps:

To carry out a project with the objective of reducing the area of the weedbeds by 90%, the Board of the APLC is organizing a fundraising campaign.  Among other things, the aditional funds would make it possible to hire specialists and  buy or rent the tarps. Where do your donations go? We invite you to review project budget details to understand how the funds are being used.

Friends of the lake: Let’s act now and let’s do it together to protect our lake against Eurasian watermilfoil infestation!

Make a donation! Our goal is $33,000. We will update you regularly on the progress of our fundraising campaign.

Go to the Donation page

You can also participate in the fundraising campaign by informing your friends and family who regularly benefit from holidays on Grand lac des Cèdres and Petit lac des Cèdres. They will surely want to help us in our mission to reduce the Eurasian watermilfoil by 90% through the purchase of tarps.