Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Aggressive Eradication Plan for Starry Stonewort in WI Lake

Starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa) was found in Little Muskego Lake, WI last September.  After the Department of Natural Resources and concerned community members collaborated on the best plan for eradication, they are now ready to take action.   Next month, the three acre lake will be populated by trained divers searching for an plucking out the invasive algae.  In August, divers from a commercial company will take to the lake with a vacuum to rid the lake bottom of the algae.  While in more thoroughly invaded lakes, mechanical harvesting seems to have made the issue worse, spreading the plant around more so than removing it entirely, WI DNR is hopeful that it will prove effective in instances where the invasion is caught early.



To read more on the project: DNR, residents wage counterattack on invasive plant in Little Muskego Lake