This year, the Lake Leelanau Lake Association upped its aquatic invasive species early detection game by partnering with the Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. Using Remote Operated Vehicles underwater in Lake Leelanau, we were able to survey for aquatic invasive species of interest in areas that would be difficult to survey using other methods. Read on to learn about what we gained from these surveys and about the mutual benefits of this community partnership.
The ROV's capability to collect real-time video of the lake bed helps us search for aquatic invasive plants. However, the ROV video also gives us a chance to experience the beauty of our native aquatic plant communities too. In this video, the ROV glides over beautiful beds of native aquatic plants where the Narrows empties into North Lake Leelanau. The surface waves focus the sunlight so it dances across the large-leaf pondweed bed. Once the sunlight hits a lush bed of mare's tail toward the end of the video, it lights up the plants, almost making them look electric!
The Importance of Aquatic Invasive Species Early Detection
As we have learned with our battle against the invasive Eurasian watermilfoil, the earlier invasive species are detected, the better. By detecting aquatic invasive species, or AIS, early, our options for control and the likelihood of success are increased. With Eurasian watermilfoil, or EWM, still present in Lake Leelanau (though highly reduced, see our 2026 EWM Update if you haven’t read it!), we must employ multiple methods to survey the lake to find remaining infestations. In addition, there are multiple other AIS that we are on the lookout for, such as curly-leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) and starry stonewart (Nitellopsis obtusa). Lake Leelanau has some curly-leaf pondweed in low abundance in a few areas in the lake, and no starry stonewort has yet been identified in Lake Leelanau, but it has recently been discovered in Silver Lake and Arcadia Lake, just south of us.
The Lake Leelanau Lake Association’s AIS crew has employed multiple methods to detect AIS, all with their own advantages and disadvantages. These tactics include surveillance from a boat with a crow’s nest on top, diver surveillance, aerial drones, and Community-Based Monitoring. This year, we added a new trick to our toolbox: surveillance with Remote Operated Vehicles, or ROVs. In partnership with the Northwestern Michigan College Great Lakes Water Studies Institute (NMC GLWSI), we set out to survey Lake Leelanau for three separate sampling events, each one targeted to find the three AIS mentioned above during their different growing seasons. We spent three days for each sampling event, targeting curly-leaf pondweed in late May and early June, EWM in July, and starry stonewart in late August and early September.
Sometimes nature makes fascinating patterns, like these cascading stripes of zebra mussels seen on the drop-off slope in North Lake Leelanau near Suelzer Township Park. The ROV captured this cool phenomenon while swimming almost 40 feet down in the water. While we don't know how this pattern of zebra mussels has emerged on the lake bed, it was neat to observe it!
What We Found
This first year working with the staff and students from NMC GLWSI was highly informative and beneficial for our work. The use of ROVs allows us to survey for AIS in areas that are either difficult to survey with other methods due to their depth, unsafe for our divers to survey due to high boat traffic in the area, or in times of the year when we don’t have divers available or when the water is too cold.
The first survey for curly-leaf pondweed discovered a strand of the plant in an area previously unknown. This sprig was found amidst dense native vegetation, and would have been incredibly difficult to spot from a boat or drone. Because curly-leaf pondweed grows in late spring and temporarily dies off for the summer, we do not have a dive team available to dive during the time at which it thrives. Without the ROV and the methodical search patterns performed by its pilot, this sprig might not have been discovered!
The ROV camera captures real-time underwater video, which allows us to identify plants growing on the lakebed. This is how we were able to identify a sprig of the invasive curly-leaf pondweed growing near the mouth of the Cedar River. As the ROV swam over the lakebed, LLLA staff noticed a plant that looked suspiciously like curly-leaf pondweed and asked the ROV handler to land the ROV on the lakebed for further investigation. The video shows this process, and clearly shows the sprig of curly-leaf pondweed with many white rootlets growing off of it at the center of the video frame.
The EWM survey focused on a couple of areas in North Lake Leelanau and the Narrows. The starry stonewort survey targeted deeper waters extending from boat launches, as starry stonewort can grow in water depths as deep as 95 feet, though it typically is found in about 30 feet of water. We are happy to report that no EWM or starry stonewort was discovered during their survey periods! In the AIS detection game, searching thoroughly but finding nothing is a good result!
The ROV, expertly piloted by NMC intern Logan Morley, uses its claw to collect a plant growing nearly 40 feet down in North Lake Leelanau. Although this plant looked similar to starry stonewort, experts at Michigan State University confirmed that it is a native species of stonewort called Nitella flexilis. We are so glad that the ROV could collect this plant so we could have its identity confirmed as a native species!
John Lutchko is the Director of the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. He shares his perspective on working with LLLA to detect AIS.
The relationship between the Lake Leelanau Lake Association and the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute is a great example of the community partnership we want to keep building at NMC. It gives us an opportunity to put our expertise and technology to work locally while creating meaningful, real-world experiences for our students.
For our students, partnerships like this are invaluable. They can take what they learn in the classroom and apply it alongside a community partner on work with real purpose. Beyond building technical skills, these experiences build confidence, strengthen problem-solving, and show students that the work they are preparing to do can directly impact the communities and freshwater resources around them.
For GLWSI, this relationship also reminds us that while our Marine Technology program prepares students to work around the world, some of the most meaningful opportunities are right here in northern Michigan. Connecting our students with organizations like LLLA strengthens our program and reinforces our responsibility to be a resource for the communities we serve.
For me personally, this partnership means a great deal. My family has been a Lake Leelanau riparian my entire life, and the lake has always been an important part of me and my connection to this region. Having the opportunity to bring together that personal connection with the work we are doing at GLWSI, and to involve our students in caring for a place that means so much to me, is incredibly rewarding. I’m very proud of this partnership and excited about where it can go in the years ahead.
Logan Morley is the NMC intern who piloted the ROV for our surveys. He shares his takeaways from collaborating with LLLA this year.
Partnering with the Lake Leelanau Association was an eye-opening experience for me, both as a student finishing my degree and as an NMC employee. Being in the field alongside two of the association's scientists meant instant feedback on what I was looking for and why it mattered. I'm grateful I got to see how they operate as a team and hear from them how useful this equipment is. These are things we only talk about in the classroom, so it was fantastic to put my training and professional background to use on a project that helps a lake in my home state.
It's hard to pick a favorite moment. Actually finding an invasive species ranks high, as does watching how curious the bass were around the ROV. But what stays with me is the lake bed itself. Even at only about 40 feet down, it was quiet and still, and the contrast of white and dark made it look like the surface of the moon.
The deepest depths of South Lake Leelanau are a fascinating place. The pitted and undulating lake bed is covered with soft sediment, which is also raining down from the water above and looks like snowflakes. Sometimes plant fragments sink down to the depths and become encrusted with calcium carbonate, which is abundant in Lake Leelanau because of its geology and water chemistry. Toward the end of the video, a fragment of native Northern watermilfoil can be seen on the lake bed, encrusted with calcium carbonate to look almost like a loofah.
The bass in Lake Leelanau are very curious and like to follow the ROV around. We didn't really know why they liked to do this until we captured this video. The ROV sometimes disturbs crayfish that are on the lake bed as it swims overhead. The bass in this video capitalized on the moment to get a crunchy snack!
LLLA is incredibly grateful for this partnership with NMC GLWSI. It has been an incredible opportunity to collaborate with John, Logan, and other NMC staff and students to meet our needs while giving them an opportunity to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in their “backyard”. We are very lucky to have NMC GLWSI as a local resource and we look forward to continuing this work and exploring other forms of collaboration!