It’s only found in 14 Minnesota lakes at this point, but starry stonewort has the potential to cause lots of harm, and fast. Recent research shows that the macroalgae has the potential to be the high-impact invader in Minnesota lakes that many already fear it is. It warrants the high prioritization that public agencies and
Heidi Bunk, a water resources management specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, said while the long-term effectiveness of hand pulling the invasive species starry stonewort is still being evaluated, it can be advantageous because it allows for the removal of starry stonewort without harming native species in the way chemical treatments might. She
In August of 2018 starry stonewort, an aquatic invasive species was found in a lagoon of Geneva Lake and within a year it was found in Geneva Lake. Initially it was hoped that the isolated population in the lagoon could be eradicated by dredging before it got into the lake, but the attempts failed and
Center Lake and Clearwater Lake Association are trying to combat the starry stonewort with and aquatic weed harvester this summer. In an effort to use fewer chemicals in this Missouri lake, a weed harvester will be used on most of the lake to cut and remove the starry stonewort and the algae. Aquatic herbicides will
Starry stonewort was first discovered in Minnesota waters in Lake Koronis in 2015. It’s now found in 19 Minnesota waterbodies. Lake Koronis is helping researchers understand how a changing climate may influence this invasive and how we can better manage it. Overall, the research showed year-to-year variability in the total biomass of starry stonewort. There