Steps to Actively Prevent the Spread of AIS

/ Published in aquatic invasive species, eurasian watermilfoil
Ice Fishing
When winter arrives and lakes freeze over, the true test of your love of fishing becomes apparent.  Winter sportsmen are out in their shanties, drilling holes in the ice in the hopes of reeling in the “big one.”  Those of us who live in areas of frozen lakes know that fish tales do not end

Can a Plant Fight Climate Change & Reduce Fertilizer Use?

/ Published in climate change, cyanobacteria
Azolla is a water fern
The Azolla filiculoides fern— with leaves the size of gnats, is considered a wonder-plant that played a pivotal role in cooling our planet 50 million years ago. Among its many properties, the Azolla can capture CO2 and nitrogen from the air and has genes that provide insect resistance. Some 50 million years ago, however, the

Soil Erosion and Water Pollution

/ Published in stormwater runoff, water pollution, water quality
Soil Erosion Leads to Water Pollution
The relationship between water quality and soil erosion cannot be overemphasized. Soil erosion and residue management, especially surface water runoff, influence water quality. A silt fence, sometimes called a filter fence, is a temporary sediment control barrier used on construction sites to protect water quality in nearby waterways from sediment in stormwater runoff. The problem

Hunger for Sand Takes Toll on Endangered Species

/ Published in Uncategorized
Sanding Mining Takes Toll on Endangered Species
Sand is used to make concrete and glass, it is an essential ingredient of nearly every modern highway, airport, dam, windowpane, and solar panel. Although desert sand is plentiful, its wind-tumbled particles are too smooth—and therefore not cohesive enough—for construction material. Instead, builders prize sand from quarries, coastlines, and riverbeds. Sand is being dredged from

Drowning in Garbage

/ Published in floating plastic, marine debris, plastic pollution
Landfill
The World produces over 3.5 million tons to garbage a day, 10 times the amount from a century ago, but much less than the 11 million tons researchers estimate by the end of this century.  The world also produces over 300 million tons of plastic annually, of which only a small fraction is recycled.  

Don’t Let Leaves Litter Lakes

/ Published in algae, water quality
Leaves in Storm Drain
The beautiful fall colors will soon give way to barren trees and piles of fallen leaves around our yards and neighborhoods.  The leaves decompose and restock the soil with nutrients and organic matter. However, those decomposing leaves may eventually make their way into lakes and rivers.  They get washed down streets and into storm drains

Native Vegetative Shoreline Buffer

/ Published in surface water
Natural Shoreline Buffer
Probably the single most helpful thing we can all do to help keep surface waters clean is the addition of a native vegetative buffer along the lakeshore. Buffers help filter out and trap pollutants like fertilizers, herbicides and pet waste before they reach the water. In addition, the deep roots from native buffer plants help

Biological Control of Water Hyacinth

/ Published in water hyacinth, water hyacinth control
United States to Import Hippos to Control Hyacinth
In 1909, the United States was suffering a shortage of meat. At the same time, Louisiana’s waterways were being choked by invasive water hyacinth. The solution seemed to be simple, the American Hippo Bill.  Hippos could be imported to the United States to eat the water hyacinth and people can eat the hippos. The bill

Finding the Right Balance of Aquatic Vegetation

/ Published in aquatic invasive species, aquatic plant harvester, aquatic plant management, aquatic plants, aquatic vegetation, aquatic weed harvester, mechanical harvester, water hyacinth, weed harvester, weed management
Harvesting Channels Through Aquatic Vegetation
Aquatic plants, whether invasive or native, can be described as either a mess or a resource.  Natural plant growth covers 20 – 40% of the water and includes a diversity of plants.   However, invasive plants such as Eurasian watermilfoil, hydrilla and water hyacinth quickly take over a lake covering 60% and sometimes 100% of the

Carbon Dioxide Could Keep Asian Carp out of Great Lakes

/ Published in great lakes
USGS Asian Carp Pond
In a research pond in La Crosse, Wisconsin, scientists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and U.S. Geological Survey are testing the effectiveness of a new strategy to ward off an Asian carp invasion that’s threatening the health of the Great Lakes, including Lake Michigan.  The study called for placing a carbon dioxide infusion