This document was initially a product of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant between the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (MEGLE, previously the MDEQ) and Central Michigan University (CMU) in 2018 (Cahill et al. 2018a). It was reviewed by attendees of the European Frog-bit Collaborative Fall 2018 Workshop and revised by CMU according to attendee feedback in 2019. It was piloted in 2019 and optimized in 2020 according to the pilot implementation and further feedback from the EFB Collaborative. The purpose of the Standard Treatment Impact Monitoring Protocol (STIMP) is to establish a consistent methodology for evaluating the impact that selected treatments have on European frog-bit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae L.; EFB). The analysis of data collected using the protocol will facilitate the development of best management practices (BMP’s) for EFB control and inform adaptive management plans.

Standard treatment impact monitoring protocols allow researchers, policy makers, and managers to evaluate the impacts of management actions on local, state-wide, and basin-wide scales and ensure that data is being collected in a suitable and consistent manner to meet the objectives of the management and monitoring program (Lindenmayer and Likens 2009). Without standard protocols, data collection methods differ on a site to site basis and cannot be compared beyond the specific treatment locality. Effective protocols include pre- and post-treatment assessments in managed (i.e., experimental) and unmanaged (i.e., control) locations. Standard data collection methods, pre- and post-treatment assessments, and the inclusion of unmanaged control areas allow managers to identify whether a management action or an outside influence (e.g., water-level fluctuation) is impacting a treated invasive species and to explore treatment impacts across spatial and temporal scales. To maximize their implementation, standard treatment impact monitoring protocols must address the resource (i.e., time, personnel, expertise, equipment) availability of local, state, and basin-wide managers.