Eurasian Watermilfoil Scare on Rush Lake

Rush Lake Eurasian Watermilfoil Scare
Reminds Residents To Join AIS Battle

By Martha Davidge

The spotting of possible Eurasian watermilfoil in Rush Lake on the Whitefish Chain during July was an abrupt reminder for residents and lake users to be diligent in their efforts to battle the spread of AIS (aquatic invasive species).

The scare proved to be false, but the wait between the reporting and the identification was unnerving -- and complicated by Minnesota’s government shutdown.

A brief synopsis of the scare:

Just prior to the July 1 ,2011 Minnesota government shutdown, a sample of vegetation was recovered from a personal watercraft trailer at a public access and was thought to be Eurasian watermilfoil.

Just after that, DNR officials were laid off because of the shutdown, and thus were unavailable to help identify samples.

The owner of the watercraft and trailer, a Rush Lake resident, did not want to wait.

He notified WAPOA of the incident and noted that the vegetation on the trailer had come from his bay on Rush Lake, near the entrance into Whitefish lake.  

With the property owner’s permission, WAPOA President Dave Fischer immediately hired PLM, a company from Pequot Lakes. 

WAPOA has hired this company to inspect  28 sites on the Chain twice each summer, primarily near boat accesses, since 2006.

Thankfully, PLM quickly responded with a survey of the entire bay and confirmed that the suspect vegetation was native northern watermilfoil, not the Eurasian variety.

These two plants appear much the same, but Eurasian watermilfoil has more leaflets than the non-invasive native variety.

In addition to the physical differences, Eurasian watermilfoil creates much thicker mats in lakes, choking out healthy vegetation and creating huge algae blooms.

 Although the alarm proved to be false, the scare reminded area lake lovers that it is always good to err on the side of caution if a lake user or lake professional spots something suspicious.

WAPOA is very grateful to the property owner who reported the possible AIS sighting so it could be looked at by experts.

With the presence of invasives like Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels now confirmed in many lakes, it is all the more important for people to be educated about AIS and follow laws that are designed to stop their spread.

Minnesota state law requires boaters to drain, clean and dry their boats, including bilges and live wells, before they leave any lake or river.

• It is illegal to trailer a boat on a public road with its drain plug in.
• All vegetation must be removed from both boats and trailers prior to leaving an access.
• Lake water in bait buckets must emptied.  If you want to keep your excess bait, the lake water must be replaced with tap or well water. 
• It is illegal to transport water from one lake to another.

Invasive species are easily spread: it only takes a small leaf of Eurasian watermilfoil to start the spread of it in another lake; and zebra mussels can travel in a microscopic state in water; there don’t have to visible adult mussels in order for them to be spread.

It is important to support those who are at the forefront of battling the spread of AIS.

It will be a costly venture to attempt to treat any invasives that make their way into the Whitefish chain or other area lakes.

Member dues are what enables WAPOA to fight the spread of AIS and educate people about it. 

It only costs $25 to join – although persons willing and able to donate more to the cause are encouraged to do so.

Since aquatic invasive species (AIS) were first found to have infested Minnesota lakes in the 1990s, WAPOA has spearheaded many projects in the prevention of, and education about aquatic invasive species.

WAPOA has

• sponsored classes to train volunteers to work at boat accesses
• actually helped fund DNR interns to work at accesses
• held courses for lake professionals who deal in docks and boats
• helped fund the treatment of curly leaf pondweed for three years in the Daggett Lake Channel near C&C Boatworks
• educated the public about AIS
• paid to have 28 sites on the Whitefish Chain professionally checked twice each summer for the presence of AIS.

Learn more about preventing the spread of invasive species here on the Minnesota  DNR website.

Learn more about Eurasian watermilfoil here on the Minnesota DNR website.

Learn more about the invasive zebra mussel here on the Minnesota DNR website.

Donations to WAPOA, including membership and donations specifically to fight AIS, are tax deductible. Join now. Send your check to WAPOA, Box 342, Crosslake, MN 56442. You may donate more and earmark it for AIS. Learn more at www.wapoa.org.

[Ed.note: Original article edited for internet presentation]