The Lake St. Clair Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (LSC CISMA) is a collaborative effort to enhance ecosystem functions and enrich ecosystem services through invasive species prevention, detection, management, and outreach in Macomb and St. Clair counties, Michigan.

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What are invasive species?

Invasive species are organisms that are not native to a region and whose introduction causes harm to the economy, environment, and society. These species tend to be highly competitive and naturally well adapted to their new environments, where they typically lack natural predators or herbivores to keep their populations in check. Economically, invasive species can pose serious threats to forestry, agriculture and other industries, reduce property values, damage infrastructure, create public safety risks, and limit land use. Environmentally, they can lead to nutrient loading, biodiversity loss, habitat loss, degraded soil quality, and altered hydrology. On a social level, invasive species can also undermine recreation and tourism, pose health risks to humans, and interfere with cultural practices.

What are the priority species in our area?

Lake St. Clair CISMA prioritizes outreach, education, and management for certain invasive species with the highest potential for negative impacts in southeastern Michigan. These species include: invasive phragmites, water primrose, Japanese knotweed, giant knotweed, European frog bit, red swamp crayfish, water lettuce, and water hyacinth. The CISMA is also on high alert for state watchlist species like spotted lanternfly and Asian longhorned beetle.

View our full list of priority invasive species for Macomb and St. Clair counties.

2025 Projects Snapshot

Nest Box Monitoring

During the bird nesting season, the LSC CISMA manages dozens of nest boxes that help us learn about local populations and curb the spread of invasive bird species. We check these nest boxes weekly for activity from key species and report our observations to the Cornell Lab NestWatch database. Our target native species are eastern bluebirds, tree swallows, and Carolina and house wrens, whereas house sparrows are the invasive species we seek to discourage.

Red Swamp Crayfish Trapping

The LSC CISMA has completed its 5th year of trapping Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in Macomb County. We performed weekly surveying and trapping efforts in drains and ponds in our service area, catching 159 Red Swamp Crayfish and 50 native Virile Crayfish (Faxonius virilis) this season. This marks a significant decrease in invasive populations and the rebound of native populations compared to previous years!

Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF)

This year the LSC CISMA took part in the PAMF collaborative learning program for Phragmites treatment in the Great Lakes Basin. As member organization, we contribute our data and work to improve treatment methods for Phragmites. We have over 9 acres of Phragmites that we are treating this season via herbicide, mowing, and biomass removal in public parks, residential ponds, and roadside lots.

Phragmites Right-Of-Way Surveys

The LSC CISMA has surveyed hundreds of miles of roadways across Macomb County for the presence and density of invasive Phragmites (Phragmites australis). Because of these surveys, we were able to contract chemical treatment of the right-of-way along 846,565 ft. of roadways. Treating phragmites on ROW areas increases visibility for drivers and helps maintain environmental quality.

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