Treated Milfoil at Long Bridge Goes Down

Our staff attended the Invasive Species meeting in Sandpoint this past Tuesday.  We took the opportunity to view some of the sites easily viewed.  For the past few years, one of the most challenging sites has been the milfoil beds at the north end of the Long Bridge on the Western side.  Our treatment protocols have effectively controlled those beds, this is the first year at this time in a while that these beds have been absent.

Aquatechnex biologists will be flying our Aerial Shoreline Analaysis mission in the coming weeks.  This technology provides us with high resolution seamless coverage of the entire lake and river shoreline.  This information will be compared to the imagery we collected from the exact same areas last year to help evaluate control achieved and that information will be provided to Bonner County to help them with their assessment.  We will post pre and post treatment imagery here in the coming month for the public to review.

New Milfoil Weevil Report Published

Michigan State University has published a new report on the use of the milfoil weevil to manage this noxious aquatic weed.  Go to http://web2.msue.msu.edu/bulletins/Bulletin/PDF/WQ61.pdf to get a copy.

2009 Treatment Project Officially Over

While there had been some thought that ISDA staff would approve additional acres infested with Eurasian Milfoil for treatment, that hope has not come to pass.  Of the acres identified by the County as infested with levels of this invasive aquatic weed, approximately half of them were approved for treatment by the State and the remaining areas were left untreated.  The interactive map (http://69.30.47.126/Aquatechnex/default.htm) shows those areas as untreated so viewers can get a perspective on what areas were targeted and what areas were left alone.  Those left untreated are shown with a yellow cross hatch.

As this is potentially the last year of State Funding for the Bonner County Milfoil Control Program, it might be a good time to reflect on the accomplishments of the County.  One of the things we did this winter was to get all of the surveys and treatment maps for the course of this project and create a map showing the original range of milfoil in this system.  These areas totaled about 6,700 acres.  This summer, only about 650 or less than 10 percent of those acres remained with some level of milfoil present.  As our team performed the first applications in 2006 and this year’s program we noted a stunning difference in the system of this time frame as well.  One representative article show this at http://pomilfoil.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/riley-creek-four-years-after-renovate-herbicide-treatment/

In a system as large and complex as Pend Oreille, this is quite an accomplishment.  Hopefully the County and the State find a way to continue keeping this noxious weed in check in the future years.

Thanks to those that helped us

We wanted to thank a number of businesses in Sandpoint that helped us successfully complete this year’s Eurasian Milfoil Treatment.  The Super 8 hotel did an excellent job of putting us up and even went out of there way to get breakfast going early.  Mr. Sub got us fed for lunch most days of the mission, they really make a good sandwich.  Slates and the Beach House were often our dinner spots and their food was excellent.  We also were able to buy a new boat we needed from Affordable Boat Brokerage in Sagle/Post Fall, that platform was exactly what we were looking for to replaced one of our aging fleet.  One of our newer trucks needed some warrenty work and Alpine Motors went out of their way to help us keep moving.  Overall, we pumped about $30,000 into the local economy to get this mission accomplished and we really thank these businesses for going out of their way to help us.

Blog Update

This blog was a key part of this year’s public awareness program for the Eurasian Milfoil Control efforts.   A review of the stats shows that it was well used by the public.  In the month or so of use, over 4,700 users visited and viewed articcles on the blog.  The busiest day was the first day of treatment when we logged 374 visitors/users.  51 comments were posted and responded to and the most viewed pages were the interactive map.

All Water Use Restrictions Have Expired

Bonner County has informed us that sampling has indicated that all water use restrictions in the treated areas on the lake have ended.  All treated polygons on the lake and river are now displayed green indicating that.

Those interested in looking at the interactive map can see where treatments occured this season, those polygons are green; and where treatments were not allowed by the funding agency, those polygons reman yellow.

Spokesman Review Article about LPO Milfoil Program

The following article was posted on the Spokesman Review site.  Generally it does a good job of describing this projec this year.  http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/aug/23/chemicals-dispute-plagues-milfoil-battle/

The North American Lake Management Society accepts paper on LPO Milfoil Control Program

The North American Lake Management Society has accepted a paper for presentation at their annual international conference this October.  the NALMS meeting will be held the last week of the month in Hartford, CT.  This paper will present the progress made by Bonner County on the management of Eurasian Milfoil in this complex system.  More information will be posted as the meeting gets closer.

Friday Update on Water Use Restrictions

Bonner County has continued to sample herbicide levels in the treatment sites.  A number of additional sites have been cleared for use for irrigation. 

Please consult the interactive map to locate your property and view the conditions present.  Generally, there are no restrictions on any of the treatment sites in the Pend Oreille River with the exception of the Snug Harbor Treatment site.  All of the treatment sites in Ellisport Bay and Hope area are now clear of restrictions.  The Oden Bay and Sunnyside sites are also clear of restrictions. 

Additional clearances will be posted as additional sampling data is received.

More Information on Water Use Restrictions

Bonner County has received additional water sampling this afternoon and we have updated the interactive map to reflect where restrictions have been lifted.  All areas on the map that have been treated and restrictions on irrigation and potable water use have been lifted are now colored green, see http://69.30.47.126/Aquatechnex/default.htm

Interested property owners should go to this map and locate their homes, but generally, restrictions have been lifted at all treatment sites downstream of Thama, some restrictions remain in treatment sites around LaClede pending tomorrows sampling, all restrictions north of Laclede to Memorial Field have been lifted, and more samples are due tomorrow.  All of the treatment sites in the lake east of the Long Bridge are still restricted pending the next round of samples.

Our crews will be removing signs from properties as this information comes in.