Lakes and Watershed Commission to Hold July 12 Public Information Meeting on Proposed Research Project on Control of Eurasian Water Milfoil in Lake Monona’s Turville Bay
June 25, 2007
Sue Jones: 224-3764
Land & Water Resources
June 25, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sue Jones (224-3764)
Lakes and Watershed Commission to Hold July 12 Public Information Meeting on Proposed Research Project on Control of Eurasian Water Milfoil in Lake Monona’s Turville Bay
The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission will hold a public information meeting at 7 p.m. on July 12 in Room 309 of the City–County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in downtown Madison. The meeting will begin with a brief presentation about a proposed project in Turville Bay of Lake Monona to evaluate two methods to control Eurasian water milfoil and restore native plant communities. Most of the meeting will be devoted to answering questions and comments from the public. The project, a cooperative effort of Dane County, the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, would involve active treatment (using herbicides and mechanical harvesting) and analysis for three years, followed by two to three years of post treatment monitoring.
Brett Hulsey, Chair of the Lakes and Watershed Commission, said, “Reducing non-native weeds in our lakes is important, and we are exploring additional measures to reduce these unwanted weeds.”
Eurasian water milfoil (an aquatic exotic plant) begins growing early in the year, and creates a dense growth canopy which shades out native plant species. The research premise is that early spring herbicide use and deep harvesting would allow management of Eurasian water milfoil before most native plants begin their growth.
If the project proposal moves forward, the herbicide treatments and deep mechanical harvesting would begin in 2008.
Pursuit of this research project was a high priority recommendation of the Dane County Board of Supervisor’s Aquatic Plant Management Committee, whose final report is available online at www.danewaters.com/management/AquaticPlantManagement.aspx.
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