Burnett Sentinel Documents Start of Milfoil Invasion in Burnett County


SPOONER-The discovery of Eurasion Water Milfoil (EWM) in Burnett's Ham and Round Lakes is bad news. The invasive plant is a tough customer and expensive (almost impossible) to eradicate. Ask landowners on Loon Lake in Shawano County. EWM had infested the lake to the point that boats put in at the public launch could not get into the lake. The ropy weed wrapped up on the propeller and would stop it. The lake association tried the old tried and true 2,4D on their invasion. It failed.

The amazed 2,4D vendor went to the lake and collected samples, according to property owner Richard Smith. Those samples were sent to a laboratory in Connecticut that reported the plants were a hybrid variety of EWM and impervious to the long-trusted broad-leaf weed killer. The lake association turned to a bug to eat the leaves and, hopefully, kill the plants, said Smith. They bought 30,000 of the little critters, he says, at a dollar each. No luck. So, they bought 20,000 more; same price. Still no success.

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Posted: Thu - June 10, 2004 at 08:36 PM      

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