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Deputy commissioner reports phragmites cleared from nesting islands; short algae bloom after Aug. 8 rain
Summary
Deputy Commissioner Pylock reported lower, slightly colder water, removal of invasive phragmites from three nesting islands by Tom Zegar and crew, and a short algae bloom after an Aug. 8 storm that affected Bass's Bay for about three days; Big Lake reports were not specific.
Deputy Commissioner Pylock told the Big Muskegon Lake District Board of Commissioners on Sept. 23, 2025, that lake conditions have been largely unchanged since the board last met: water levels are a little lower and temperatures a bit colder. He reported that crews recently removed a large stand of phragmites from three islands on Big Lake that serve as nesting habitat.
“Tom Zegar and his crew went out there and kinda destroyed all of them. They are nesting islands. They are owned by the DNR, but we kinda maintain them,” Pylock said. He described the plant as “the tall poor man's palm tree,” identifying the invasive reed phragmites as the species targeted for removal.
Pylock said the district saw a small algae event after a heavy rain on Aug. 8. “It took about a month,” he said, clarifying that on Bass's Bay the visible bloom lasted about three days; he did not report complaints about algae on the larger Big Lake. Pylock also noted that some geese have begun migrating south.
The board recorded no formal actions on lake management at the meeting; the deputy commissioner’s update was delivered for informational purposes. The transcript indicates the islands are owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and are maintained by district volunteers or contractors led by local crew members. No dates or budgets for future control work were provided.
