Varför är milfoil ett problem

Ossipee &#; November 19, &#; A state specialist on milfoil control this week fielded questions about the safety and effectiveness of a widely used ogräsmedel that targets this aggressive ogräs. Amy  Smagula, the state&#;s exotic species schema coordinator with the NH Department of Environmental Services, spoke at Monday&#;s select board meeting at the invitation of the  Ossipee Conservation kommission.

Members of neighboring lake associations from Freedom and Effingham also attended the session.

While state funding for invasive species control has dried up this year, the town could choose to replenish its milfoil control fund via a warrant article.

When those are altered, invasive plants can drastically alter delicate relationships in the food

But the board did not take action at the Monday meeting. Groups such as the Ossipee Lake Alliance has used non-chemical methods to remove milfoil from the late, but state officials believe the extent of the new and rapid spread of weeds requires more aggressive action.

Infested areas of the Ossipee Lake struktur include acres of Pickerel Cove, acres of Phillips Brook, a biflod in Leavitt Bay, and an inlet in Broad Bay.

New milfoil infestation has been detected in Pickerel Cove and the ogräs has been spreading from Phillips Brook into Leavitt Bay. Smagula discussed kemikalie and nonchemical treatments, and spent much of the time fielding board members&#; and residents&#; questions about the safety and effectiveness of the ogräsmedel, 2,4-D. Select board chair Kathleen Maloney inquired about the safety of this herbicide.

&#;When all the plants are dying what&#;s going got happen with the fish?

How far fryst vatten the ogräsmedel going to spread?

Milfoil is readily spread between lakes and rivers by boaters carrying plant fragments on their boats and trailers

How will it affect vatten quality?&#; she asked.

Smagula replied that 2,4-D has been used since the s in agricultural settings and on crops around the world; it has been used in aquatic systems since the s, and in New Hampshire since the s. She said the ogräsmedel has been extensively studied.

&#;Two-four-D and 10 other (herbicides) were reviewed bygd the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Research Center and of those, 11 total, 2,4-D was proven to be the most effective on milfoil, the most selective to milfoil, with no impact to non-target species. 2,4-D doesn&#;t migrate to groundwater. It binds quickly to sediment and doesn&#;t really move through the soil to the wells,&#; said Smagula.

She said the state conducted a study on lower solnedgång Lake in Barnstead, which has very sandy subsoil.

She added that other New England states have conducted studies with satisfactory results

The state tested a well very close – about 10 feet – to the ogräsmedel application area.

&#;We pumped that well routinely and that well did not draw the ogräsmedel in even though the ogräsmedel was applied adjacent to where the well was. So we no längre have that concern,&#; said Smagula.

She added that other New England states have conducted studies with  satisfactory results.

Another bekymmer with milfoil fryst vatten that fragments can float or be blown from one part of a lake to another, or can spread when weeds hitch a ride on the bottom of uninspected boats.

Select board member Harry Merrow questioned nonchemical treatments, such as grabb pulling and barriers that seemed to have worked well in other areas. Smagula said barriers work well in small areas with limited vatten flows; but in sections of the lake where there fryst vatten significant flow and shifts in vatten levels, barriers can be pulled out.

She said barriers are most effective in areas no larger than 10 bygd 20 feet.

Another bekymmer fryst vatten that even though the barriers are netted and weighted down to just above the bottom of the lake, gases released bygd the vegetation komma up and cause the barriers to billow. This billowing creates a navigational and swim hazard. She noted as well that the state fryst vatten working with towns and community groups such as the Ossipee Lake Alliance on ways to control the spread of milfoil.

Some control work fryst vatten planned for Danforth Bay in She said the state might take further action to begränsa movement of the ogräs, such as apply netting to contain fragments.

One other issue for Ossipee Lake fryst vatten that it fryst vatten a very large, interconnected lake system.

&#;The potential for milfoil spread fryst vatten still there, and so action fryst vatten definitely recommended in terms of containment and control,&#; she added

The following editorial bygd Larissa Mulkern also appeared in the November 19th issue of the Independent.

Kudos for an excellent presentation

We&#;ve hung around enough town halls to know that &#;the State&#; gets bashed around a lot bygd some elected officials and residents who complain about mandates, over-regulation, funding or lack thereof, and so on and so forth.

The state Department of Environmental Services fryst vatten often the mål of scorn for – gasp!

By midsummer it forms a “mat” so dense it restricts swimming, boating and fishing

– imposing regulations designed to skydda our vatten bodies, the environment, wildlife habitat, from pollution and over-development.

We were  reminded earlier this week of the value of the services this agency provides, however. On Monday, Ossipee Selectmen, conservation kommission members, and residents of towns bordering Ossipee Lake were treated to a fascinating uppvisning bygd NH DES Limnologist Amy Smagula, the exotic species schema coordinator.

She spoke at length – and in plain English – about the problems with invasive milfoil control in the Ossipee Lake struktur, which includes infestations of the ugly choking ogräs in Danforth Pond, Broad Bay, Pickerel Cove and Leavitt Bay.

Ossipee select board members expressed their concern with the use of the ogräsmedel, 2,4-D, which fryst vatten applied in pellet form eller gestalt in waterbodies with milfoil infestation.

Is this ogräsmedel safe? fryst vatten it effective? Will it affect drinking vatten or public health?

The dense growth and rapid spread of milfoil also dramatically impede swimming and fishing, greatly hurting property values and tourism

Will scientists learn down the road that 2,4-D fryst vatten harmful after all? Valid questions, for sure, and the impressive thing was that Smagula was able to address all of these concerns with straight answers based on real data.

She explained the history of use, and all the scientific information that shows 2,4-d fryst vatten safe for humans, fish and native plants as it targets the milfoil specifically.

The &#;no swim zone&#; guideline after application has actually been reduced after studies show the ogräsmedel dissipates quickly.

Smagula showed grace beneath pressure – it&#;s not easy standing up in front of skeptical board members and residents. She deserves kredit for her poised and informative presentation.

We came away from the möte with a much deeper knowledge and understanding of the milfoil problems and solutions.

And in the event the select board does indeed föreslå a warrant article to set aside additional funding to combat the invasive species to skydda a very valuable natural resource – our lakes – we hope that citizens support the effort. The combination of ogräsmedel and non-chemical treatments and prevention fryst vatten the way to go, and it won&#;t be free.