Aggressive Milfoil Treatment Planned in Wolfeboro

[ApS]

Today's Granite State News suggests that Wolfeboro's Back Bay is "The Nursery" for ALL of Winnipesaukee's variable milfoil problems.

"Striking at the heart of the beast:

This piece of Variable-Leaf Milfoil was pulled out of Back Bay. With it's shallow, warm waters, nutrient-rich soils, and outgoing current, Back Bay could be serving as the exotic weed's incubator for the rest of Lake Winnepesaukee...". http://granitestatenews.com/1homebody.lasso

While Back Bay has always been shallow and warm -- and always had an outgoing current -- its "nutrient-rich" water is due to multiple restaurant- and marina- development on its banks. (Add in, the silt that was allowed to flow in from up-slope at those sites). That two trailered-in boat-launching sites are right there made it a disaster waiting to happen.

Sure enough, you can watch the milfoil strands drift out into Winnipesaukee.

I think they're onto something.

[Jeff Furber]

What is the plan for eradicating the milfoil in Wolfeboro, who will do it, cost etc. Thanks Jeff from Mass

[SongoRiver]

Milfoil here is beyond control and officials will not consider using 2,4-D. We are being told that 3-5 acre+ and 10+ acre infestations can be reduced and eventually managed with bottom barriers.

The efforts are expensive, extraordinarily difficult and my observation is that with infestations this large, milfoil is spreading many times faster than barriers could ever be applied, making these efforts little more than "feel good" initiatives, encouraged to forestall any discussion of herbicides.

Barriers kill beneficial native plants and millions of animals, while the infestations simply expand around them. If I am incorrect, can someone enlighten me?

Do you have any experience, one way or the other, that might help us? The 3-5+ acre infestation I referenced, has I expanded up river over a mile, in just the last 5 years and is now less than 1,000 feet from two major lakes.

[pmj]

Lets hope they can get a handle on this problem.

Not only do the props cut it up, and redistribute it, but it can foul the props, too. We have had difficulty just this week backing our boat into our slip in Gilford, as the milfoil wraps itself around the propeller. This only happens when we are in reverse..very odd.

[Kman]

It's good to hear that there is action being taken on this issue. Hopefully it will be a success in limiting the new growth of milfoil.

[Rinkerfam]

There are so many areas of the lake that are affected.... Back Bay, The Basin, Smith Cove, the areas around Paugus Bay Marina and Lakeport Landing Marina and the Weirs Channel. These are just the ones that I can name by personal observation. I truly hope that a solution is in the near future.

[Great Idea]

PMJ in Gilford,

That Milfoil you speak of in Gilford that gets cut up by your prop is floating down the lake. I picked up chunks of it off our beach on Sunday. Is there a way you , others in your marina can get together and treat it right away?? We will all have to take responsibility for stopping its spread by doing our part. I have removed several clusters in areas near boats by digging out the roots, plants intact and putting it into plastic bags and disposing of it. Can anything be done in your slip? Every plant you cut floats away and infects another area. Please help if possible. Thanks in advance for your efforts.

[PROPELLER]

What marina would that be? If its MVYC, they treat for milfoil as often as the DES will allow but it still grows. The treatment does not last for very long & grows until it can be treated again. The DES allows treatment every 3 or 4 years.

[mcdude]

More on Wolfeboro's Milfoil. Not everyone is comfortable with chemical treatments...

See Citizen Article....

[Phantom]

DO NOT FEAR CHEMICAL TREATMENTS !!

I live on a small lake here in MA when not at Winni -- a number of years ago (about 4yrs) we had the chemical treatment for milfoil done by A C T 's competitor (public bid) and there was a tremendous change for the positive!! We were restricted from swimming for about a week - boating was allowed.

The unfortunate part of our saga is that it was suppose to be followed up by two - three scheduled follow-on treatments which never occurred due to some local environmentalist group hiring "an ambulance chasing lawyer" (yes I'm bitter) and threatened all kinds of legal action. The Town backed away from the project and now our state "Grant" money has expired leaving the Lake residents with the problem of raising in the vicinity of $50,000 to start the process all over from the beginning........

The sad part is that because the follow on treatments didn't go as scheduled our milfoil problem is once again returning.

If there is anyone who wants detailed information (and I'm not the person) I can put them in touch with our local lake "committee" who researched and planned the treatment program -- it was a 5-8 year process to get to the Treatment program approval - only to be de-railed in the end ---- a Tragedy!

[mcdude]

Milfoil Debate Rages on in Wolfeboro

see Citizen Article

[wildwoodfam]

But I cant see how or why they would try to do the treatments on bays and small parts of the big lake. We lived on a small 150 acre lake in Wakefield - which was infected with the weed and filled with milfoil in a matter of years. Finally the lake association banded together and funded a portion (state matched) of the cost to treat the lake. Long story short - we couldn't swim in the lake for 2 days - no fishing or drawing water for 2 days - but then it was open for all water sports and enjoyment. Milfoil was completely eradicated - gone - see ya - buh bye! BUT - it was a contained 150 acre lake....hardly a 44,000 acre lake with boats carrying the stuff in daily, and chopping up the stuff that drifts etc...

Back Bay - is NOT self contained and unless they plan to erect a net of some type at the bridge - which is impossible - I cant see how the treatments are worthwhile and cost effective.

Just my nickel...

[Phantom]

Wildwoodfam -- that's exactly what they did do at our lake here in Mass -- Lycott (as it turns out the same company talking to the folks in Wolfboro) in an effort to conserve treatment & $$ to our association- They erected a barrier accross our "channell" area to contain the chemicals to one end of our 160 acre lake. . In the center of the barrier was a "V" cut-out, approx 10' wide x 4' deep in the center where boats could pass through. The chemicals used are "heavy" and tend to stay at the bottom as opposed to skimming on the surface........ As with you we were only restricted for a few days (a small price).

With that -- i'm through with this topic -- I know how "heated" it got around our community and I have no desire/energy to relive that --- It works, it's safe -- and Lycott is a quality outfit!!

I sincerely hope this issue doesn't turn into the new "HB162" thread and tear this forum down the middle again..........

[mcdude]

.....and now there's a proposal to treat Smith Cove in Gilford that has been met with some resistance. See the Citizen Article.

[RI Swamp Yankee]

I came accross this recently, sounds like a safe natural alternative.

Over the past eight years, EnviroScience, Inc. has been working with Middlebury College (VT) to make MiddFoil® available to the general public. MiddFoil uses an aquatic beetle native to Canada and the northern US to combat the spread of Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive aquatic weed that has spread like wildfire across North America.

Based on eight years of intensive field application and more than 12 years of university research, MiddFoil has proven itself to be the only long-term, environmentally-friendly alternative to herbicides and mechanical harvesting for large scale infestations.

http://www.enviroscienceinc.com/cgi-...section&id=253

[wildwoodfam]

Originally Posted by RI Swamp Yankee

I came accross this recently, sounds like a safe natural alternative.

Over the past eight years, EnviroScience, Inc. has been working with Middlebury College (VT) to make MiddFoil® available to the general public. MiddFoil uses an aquatic beetle native to Canada and the northern US to combat the spread of Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive aquatic weed that has spread like wildfire across North America.

Based on eight years of intensive field application and more than 12 years of university research, MiddFoil has proven itself to be the only long-term, environmentally-friendly alternative to herbicides and mechanical harvesting for large scale infestations.

http://www.enviroscienceinc.com/cgi-...section&id=253

As I recall from the treatment issues at my small lake in Wakefield - there are a couple types of milfoil - and the beetle only works on Eurasian, and the findings were incolnclusive as to long term results. Plus - who wants to swim with a whole mess of beetles in the water!!!

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by wildwoodfam

{snip} Plus - who wants to swim with a whole mess of beetles in the water!!!

The rock bass perhaps ! ? ! More seriously I hope they've done their studies well and aren't going to repeat the mongoose in Hawaii experience.

http://www.hisurf.com/~enchanted/foreigninvader.html

[RI Swamp Yankee]

All the studies from the link I posted seem very conclusive, the aquatic beetles are native to this area and do not harm other species. The studies going back to 1998 show a healthy rebound of natural species.

The beetle has proved to be a very effective control agent in extensive field trials. Depending on the initial density applied, the beetles take from two to four years to permanently stabilize EWM below problematic levels. Most importantly,the MiddFoil® process is environmentally safe: the beetle does not damage native plants or animals because it is native to our North American ecology. As EWM decreases in the treated lake, the beetle population gradually declines to a self-sustaining level.

I agree, who wants to swim with a bunch of bugs but then you would have swim in the milfoil to get near the bugs


The stocking of weevils into Van Etten Lake between 2000 and 2001 resulted in severe damage to EWM beds throughout the lake. The weevils successfully overwintered and returned to the lake in large numbers and have established a thriving population throughout the lake. The MiddFoil® Project in Van Etten Lake was so successful that a planned third year of stocking was eliminated.

It just seemed to me that the bugs were a better solution than chemicals and the long term (8 years) results show nothing detrimental but rather allowed native species to rebound and balance the ecology of the lakes studied.

[hockeypuck]

It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature. Is the milfoil problem a natural cycle in the eutrophication of the lake? If it's a natural process, it's like spitting into the wind. Beetles v/s Chemicals, I think I would vote for the beetles. Sounds to me that dumping toxic chemicals into water that people not only swim in, but use for drinking is not a prudent thing to do. Sure the results may be quicker, but just ask the Viet Nam Vets that were exposed to some of the first cousins of 2,4 D. Years later they are still trying to figure out what the effects are. I'm not a resident and those that are may have a different opinion, but one thing the lake doesn't need is headlines of people getting sick from exposure to some herbicide found in the lake water. Let's face it we all love the lake, and the fact that we do brings with it more use and misuse and is changing what many of us love about it. I guess since I've been going up to the lake for over 50 years I'm guilty of adding to the pressure on the lake. I'm a perennial tourist, but tourist are like women, You can't live with them and you can't live without them.
Hockeypuck