A bizarre mass of "drifting vegetation" in Rondeau Bay is fair game for anyone who wants to try and remove it according to Chatham-Kent Leamington MPP Rick Nicholls.
The more than 100-ft wide floating island broke free from the wetland last fall and didn't bother anyone until a recent incident.
It drifted up against the shore and crushed a dock.
Residents rallied together with boats to push the mass away.
Nicholls reached out to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to make sure the issue wasn't something out of the ordinary.
Turns out floating vegetation is normal in lakes and rivers, but they usually break down naturally, something residents along Rondeau Bay are still waiting for.
At least one attempt to break down the island was launched; something the ministry says is okay to attempt if the vegetation isn't anchored to the lake bed.
"I know that residents tried to remove it and kind of move it along, but it's too big and too labour intensive for them to do anything about it," says Nicolls.
He tells AM800 News a nearby trailer park actually benefited from the cluster when it parked along their shores.
"They have said the land mass actually prevented extensive flooding in the area," says Nicholls. "So that was a good thing."
Nichols says, aside from the dock, the floating island hasn't hurt anything in the lake.
He says if the floating mass is causing concerns with navigation of the waterway, Transport Canada might step in to ensure boater safety.
- with files from AM800's Rob Hindi