Phragmites Management & Shoreline Restoration
Healthy shorelines support native plants, provide wildlife habitat, and connect our communities to the water. Invasive phragmites threatens these places by forming dense stands that crowd out native vegetation and restrict shoreline access.
CAKE CISMA works with lake associations, landowners, and conservation partners to manage invasive phragmites across Charlevoix, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Emmet counties. Building on years of regional treatment work, we are currently expanding coordinated projects on Lake Charlevoix and Birch Lake.
Shared shorelines need a shared approach
Phragmites management extends beyond a single property. Nearby infestations can remain sources of new growth, and treated areas need follow-up to protect the progress already made.
By partnering with lake associations, we can plan across neighboring properties, coordinate landowner participation, and organize treatment within a larger project area. These partnerships also connect professional management with the local knowledge and ongoing involvement of people who care about their lake.
Our goal is lasting progress: less invasive phragmites, room for native plants to recover, and continued attention to new or returning infestations.
Lake Charlevoix Phragmites Project
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CAKE CISMA is partnering with the Lake Charlevoix Association to coordinate invasive phragmites management across the lake. In September 2026, we surveyed the entire shoreline to identify infestations and guide future treatment efforts.
Building on longstanding local control efforts, this partnership brings community involvement and invasive species expertise together to protect native shoreline vegetation and wildlife habitat.
We have also applied for a Sustain Our Great Lakes grant that, if awarded, would support continued management through 2030, with the goal of eradicating invasive phragmites from Lake Charlevoix.
Project Partners:
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Lake Charlevoix Association
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Charlevoix Conservation District
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Little Traverse Conservancy
Birch Lake
Phragmites Project
CAKE CISMA is partnering with Birch Lake residents to coordinate invasive phragmites management across the lake. In June 2026, we surveyed the entire shoreline to identify infestations and guide future treatment efforts.
Building on longstanding local control efforts, this partnership brings community involvement and invasive species expertise together to protect native shoreline vegetation and wildlife habitat.
Project Partners:
-
Lake Charlevoix Association
-
Charlevoix Conservation District
-
Little Traverse Conservancy
About CAKE CISMA's work
Invasive phragmites is one of our oldest invasive species, it was originally introduced to the United States in the 1700's or 1800's in ship ballast water. It is a restricted species in Michigan, which means that it is illegal to sell, trade, plant, or share per Michigan's Natural Resources Environmental Protection Act (Part 413 of Act 451).
Phragmites management in Northern Michigan traces back to a time preceding the CAKE CISMA program. Initially, it was a grassroots endeavor championed by lake associations, concerned citizens, and local environmental organizations. Since its establishment in 2015, CAKE CISMA has spearheaded invasive phragmites management across Northern Michigan. Our mission is twofold: to complement existing efforts by these organizations and to provide additional avenues for landowners to access free treatment for their phragmites infestations. In 2024, we'll be utilizing grant funding from the Great Lake Restoration Initiative and the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program to survey for and treat invasive phragmites. While we cannot guarantee treatment for every affected area, we are committed to leveraging these resources to address the most critical infestations. Our focus lies on targeting high-quality natural areas and locations directly linked to large surface water bodies. By prioritizing these sites, we aim to curb the spread of phragmites and safeguard the ecological integrity of our region's most sensitive ecosystems.
Get Involved
Management
Request treatment
We have grant funding from the Great Lake Restoration Initiative to offer free treatment of invasive phragmites to landowners in our service area.
Report
Help us find infestations
We are actively mapping new phragmites infestations in our service area to inform the development of our regional phragmites management plan. Contribute to this work by emailing us photos and locations of phragmites you see in the CAKE region.
Resources
Learn more about invasive phragmites and native phragmites
Identification:
Treatment:
General Info:
Above: Before and after invasive phragmites treatment. Image courtesy of the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network
Above: Native wildflowers resprouting at a site several years after CAKE CISMA conducted invasive phragmites treatments.