Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeLake
Well, Advil is not a substance created to eradicate a living organism so I don't think thats a fair connection to draw. Orange juice, although I enjoy it, causes discomfort because I have acid reflex.. but those side effects can't be compared to herbicide either. Can you name what chemical your specifically speaking of?.. I've seen multiple chemicals used in different situations and all seem to have their detrimental side effects. I didn't suggest that we do nothing, I think it needs to be removed by hand. Chemicals didn't bring the Milfoil to the lake, It was humans who brought it to the lake and it needs to be humans who remove it from the lake. This long term investment may take time and be expensive but recklessly killing vegitation and poisoning the food chain at its lowest level could prove to be much more costly in the long run. The Lakeport Dam was built 69 years ago, since then we've put a man on the moon and learned how to harness power from the sun.. I'm sure we could find a way to remove vegetation from a lake.
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I believe this is what NH uses:
Two formulations of 2,4-D approved for aquatic use. The granular formulation contains the low-volatile butoxy-ethyl-ester formulation of 2,4-D (Trade names include AquaKleenŽ and NavigateŽ). The liquid formulation contains the dimethylamine salt of 2,4-D (Trade names include DMA*4IVM). 2,4-D is a relatively fast-acting, systemic, selective herbicide used for the control of Eurasian watermilfoil and other broad-leaved species. Both the granular and liquid formulations can be effective for spot treatment of Eurasian watermilfoil. 2,4-D has been shown to be selective to Eurasian watermilfoil when used at the labeled rate, leaving native aquatic species relatively unaffected.
Aside from chemical treatment, there have been natural predators used to control it with varying success, however the introduction of natural predators and the effects are still being studied. Clearly this is better than chemicals unless the predators do more harm than good....
Natural predators of the eurasian milfoil can be introduced into contaminated areas. These species thrive on destroying the weed, but do not affect the ecological environment of the native species. For example, in Brownington Pond (VT) the weevil, an herbivoric insect that eats milfoil (Euhrychiopsis Lecontei) was introduced and was extremely effective in ridding the pond of the milfoil (EPA 1997). The weevil is also being used all over New England as well as many other states (Minnesota Pollution 1998). It has been found more effective in cold weather climates; in warmer climates, such as Florida and California, the weevil has been found to only work with only about 50% success (University of Florida 1997). Besides the weevil there are two other natural predators of the milfoil being used: the Acentria Ephemerella, (a native moth who feeds on the milfoil, while at the same time hiding in its leaves), and a caterpillar who likes to eat milfoil called Cricotopus Myriophylli (University of Florida 1997). Connecticut is also experimenting with the grass carp (Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection 1998).
I'm no expert on the subject this information was grabbed off the web so I can't comment on anything other than what it illustrates at face value.