Discusses hand-pulling parties for control of EWM, AIS plant mapping, CBCW boat checks, building community reports, a 2007 rusty crayfish study, a 2008 study by UW-SP on milfoil weevils, and 2008 control methods used.

Complete summary of study findings (2003 to 2006) and treatment recommendations for the nine subject lakes have been provided in previous reports, which are available in hardcopy or electronic format from Golden Sands RC&D. Contact Amy Thorstenson at 715-346-1264 or thorstea@co.portage.wi.us .

Eurasian water milfoil (EWM) (Myriophyllum spicatum) is an exotic aquatic plant that has been gaining notoriety across the United States for its aggressively invasive nature. Native to the Eurasian continent, it has been inadvertently introduced to water bodies across the U.S. by boaters, recreationalists, and various aquatic industries. Once introduced, EWM, a champion of reproductive ingenuity, spreads rapidly via stolons or fragmentation. The submersed aquatic plant goes through two flowering periods each summer, after which, it fragments into many pieces. Each fragment may sprout roots and can remain afloat and stay viable for several weeks until it drifts to a suitable site, where it can become another plant. A perennial, the plant may wait out the winter under the ice, intact, and will be growing and well established by April or May, much sooner than native aquatics. It will grow rapidly, reach the water surface and then spread into a dense, tangled mat, shading out the sunlight the other plants need. This dense mat also increases fluctuations in dissolved oxygen content, carbon dioxide content, pH level, and temperature stratification, while also inhibiting water circulation. EWM aggressively out-competes the native aquatic plants, which results in a rapid decrease in the diversity of the lake’s plant community. This in turn decreases the diversity of the insect and fish populations. Dense growth of EWM can impede predator-prey relationships between fish, stunting the growth of the larger fishes as it reduces their ability to see prey. The tangled mats at the water surface can become dense enough to strand boaters, become a safety hazard for swimmers, and create a stagnant breeding ground for mosquitoes (Jester 1998).

Eurasian water milfoil (EWM) (Myriophyllum spicatum) is an exotic aquatic plant that has been gaining notoriety across the United States for its extremely aggressive invasive nature. Native to the Eurasian continent, it has been inadvertently introduced to water bodies across the U.S. by boaters, recreationalists and various aquatic industries. Once introduced, EWM, a champion of reproductive ingenuity, spreads rapidly via stolons or fragmentation. The submersed aquatic plant goes through two flowering periods each summer, after which, it fragments into many pieces. Each fragment may sprout roots and can remain afloat and stay viable for several weeks until it drifts to a suitable site, where it can become another plant. A perennial, the plant may wait out the winter under the ice, intact, and will be growing and well established by April or May, much sooner than native aquatics. It will grow rapidly, reach the water surface and then spread into a dense, tangled mat, shading out the sunlight the other plants need. This dense mat also increases the dissolved oxygen fluxuations, carbon dioxide fluxuations, pH fluxuations and the temperature stratification of the water, and it inhibits water circulation. The EWM aggressively out-competes the native aquatic plants, which results in a rapid decrease in the diversity of the lake’s plant community. This in turn decreases the diversity of the insect and fish populations. Dense growth of EWM can impede predator-prey relationships between fish, stunting the growth of the larger fishes as it reduces their ability to see prey. The tangled mats at the water surface can become dense enough to strand boaters, become a safety hazard for swimmers, and create a stagnant breeding ground for mosquitoes. (Jester 1998)

Eurasian water milfoil (EWM) (Myriophyllum spicatum) is an exotic aquatic plant that has been gaining notoriety across the United States for its extremely aggressive invasive nature. Native to the Eurasian continent, it has been inadvertently introduced to water bodies across the U.S. by boaters, recreationalists and various aquatic industries. Once introduced, EWM, a champion of reproductive ingenuity, spreads rapidly via stolons or fragmentation. The submersed aquatic plant goes through two flowering periods each summer, after which, it fragments into many pieces. Each fragment may sprout roots and can remain afloat and stay viable for several weeks until it drifts to a suitable site, where it can become another plant. A perennial, the plant may wait out the winter under the ice, intact, and will be growing and well established by April or May, much sooner than native aquatics. It will grow rapidly, reach the water surface and then spread into a dense, tangled mat, shading out the sunlight the other plants need. This dense mat also increases the dissolved oxygen fluxuations, carbon dioxide fluxuations, pH fluxuations and the temperature stratification of the water, and it inhibits water circulation. The EWM aggressively out-competes the native aquatic plants, which results in a rapid decrease in the diversity of the lake’s plant community. This in turn decreases the diversity of the insect and fish populations. Dense growth of EWM can impede predator-prey relationships between fish, stunting the growth of the larger fishes as it reduces their ability to see prey. The tangled mats at the water surface can become dense enough to strand boaters, become a safety hazard for swimmers, and create a stagnant breeding ground for mosquitoes. (Jester 1998)

Eurasian water milfoil (EWM) (Milfolium spicatum) is an exotic aquatic plant that has been gaining notoriety across the United States for its extremely aggressive invasive nature. Native to the Eurasian continent, it has been inadvertently introduced to water bodies across the U.S. by boaters, recreationalists and various aquatic industries. Once introduced, EWM, a champion of reproductive ingenuity, spreads rapidly via stolons or fragmentation. The submersed aquatic plant goes through two flowering periods each summer, after which, it fragments into many pieces. Each fragment may sprout roots and can remain afloat and stay viable for several weeks until it drifts to a suitable site, where it can become another plant. A perennial, the plant may wait out the winter under the ice, intact, and will be growing and well established by April or May, much sooner than native aquatics. It will grow rapidly, reach the water surface and then spread into a dense, tangled mat, shading out the sunlight the other plants need. This dense mat also increases the dissolved oxygen fluxuations, carbon dioxide fluxuations, pH fluxuations and the temperature stratification of the water, and it inhibits water circulation. The EWM aggressively out-competes the native aquatic plants, which rapidly decreases the diversity of the lake’s plant community. This in turn decreases the diversity of the insect and fish populations. Dense growth of EWM can impede predator-prey relationships between fish, stunting the growth of the larger fishes as it reduces their ability to see prey. The tangled mats at the water surface can become dense enough to strand boaters, become a safety hazard for swimmers, and create a stagnant breeding ground for mosquitoes. (Jester 1998)

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AEPP-079-07Emily EWM-Crayfish

AEPP-079-07