About the CLWA

In mid-April the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) notified the CLWA that it was cancelling all merganser trapping and relocation permits for 2025. This bad news was not entirely unexpected, as Avian influenza has continued to be widespread among domestic birds and wildfowl in Michigan. Nevertheless, it is a blow to CLWA’s successful Swimmer’s Itch control program, which after several years of implementation had reduced the incidence of swimmer’s itch in Crystal Lake.

 

During this suspension the CLWA will be expanding its Swimmer’s Itch research to the extent possible. We ask the continuing support of the public in reporting sightings of merganser broods and cases of Swimmer’s Itch to the onnline form on this website. The information you are providing contributes to the invaluable long-term data that the CLWA maintains. This database aids ongoing research into the causes and prevention of SI being carried out by CLWA and its partners, Swimmer’s Itch Solutions.