Non-native Invasive species

Battling a Nasty Green Invader From the Deep

New York Region
Battling a Nasty Green Invader From the Deep
By LISA W. FODERARO
Published: June 12, 2007
State officials are spending millions to attack Eurasian watermilfoil, a plant that endangers swimmers, boaters and other aquatic plants in dozens of Adirondack lakes.

Excerpt:

Several lakes, including Schroon, have begun educational programs aimed at prevention, stationing volunteers at boat launches. Along with posted signs, the volunteers urge boaters to remove watermilfoil from their boats, as well as zebra mussels — another nonnative scourge.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent each year to remove watermilfoil. In July and August, teams of scuba divers descend to hand-harvest plants, which can grow up to 15 feet tall. Where the watermilfoil is too dense for that approach (scientists have found as many as 300 stems per square meter), divers fasten huge sheets of plastic, called benthic barriers, to the lake bottom to blot out the sun.

Another method, known as biocontrol, uses nature — in the form of insects and fish — to fight nature. At Augur Lake, where Mr. LaMere was hired to combat its Eurasian watermilfoil infestation, hundreds of sterile grass carp were released several years ago to eat the plants. For now, the watermilfoil, which had cloaked 10 percent of the lake, is still there, but is less of a nuisance.




Comments:

1. Minnesota has problems with both milfoil and purple loosestrife. The wetlands in French Park (Plymouth) has quite a bit of loosestrife.
   
2. Interesting explanation of the name (milfiol): "Myriophyllum (water milfoil) is a genus of about 45 species of freshwater aquatic plants, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Its name comes from Greek, "myri" meaning "too many to count", and "phyll", meaning "leaf"."
   
3. Picture above: Milfoil on left / Purple Loosestrife on right
   
4. The buckthorn is another Minnesota non-native invasive plant!