By Staff
Everyone will suffer.
Whether you fish or just enjoy the beauty of passing one of our many lakes in this area, change is coming.
Many species of plants are attempting to rob us of our beautiful lakes and the pleasure of spending a day casting a line.
If we don't get involved and help an any way we can, future generations may be robbed of these lakes for both fun and beauty.
One such invasive aquatic plant is especially dangerous in that it can reproduce rapidly in at least four ways – from stem fragments, from its flowers, through a bud-shaped growth called a turion, and through underground tubers and runners that can overwinter, according to Carol Swinehart of Michigan Sea Grant.
Michigan Sea Grant is a collaborative program of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, conducting Great Lakes research, education and outreach.
Presently, the group is looking for volunteers to look in bays, inland lakes and other waterways for this "perfect weed" – Hydrilla verticillata.
"This plant forms large, dense mats on the water's surface, creating havoc with the ecosystem and interfering with recreation," said Howard Wandell, Michigan State University Extension inland lake specialist.
Though hydrilla has been found in many southern states, as far north as Maine and even in a northern Indiana lake, it has not yet been found in a Michigan lake.
Since it is very difficult and expensive to eradicate they would rather keep it out of Michigan, or at least control it as soon as it is discovered.
"We have very limited effective options for controlling this invader," Wandell said. "It's important to keep it out of the state if we possibly can and to control it quickly – before it spreads – if it does appear."
"If someone thinks they've found it, we ask that they compare the plant with the image on our Web site or on the Hydrilla Hunt card," Swinehart said.
The card provides instructions on how to collect a plant sample, how to distinguish hydrilla from the native aquatic plant elodea, and where to send it for confirmation of identification. "If it has all the characteristics described there, send us a sample so that we can make sure," Swinehart said.
Hydrilla Hunt cards and other information about the species are available online at www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ais/hydrilla.html
Swinehart asks people to report where they're searching by sending an e-mail to her at cys@msu.edu. Put "Hydrilla Hunt" in the subject line and the name of the lake, pond or river and the county name in the text of the message.
It is illegal in Michigan to possess hydrilla, except to send it for expert identification. It is also illegal to take hydrilla across state lines.
Michigan residents and visitors can help prevent its spread by following good prevention practices when moving watercraft or other water recreation gear from one body of water to another.
Think before you put your boat into a lake and if you like hunting, watch for the first signs of this invasive plant.