EWM

Get a little stressed out when I hear reports about global climate change, massive oil spills or ground water contamination. The stress, in large part, comes from a sense of my inability to do anything to combat these threats to our planet.  I get caught up in the notion of my smallness in comparison to the problem. What all concerned citizens of Earth need to remember, though, is that every journey starts with a single step. This year, my single step will start with working to combat the invasion and establishment of Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) in Lake Lulu.

 EWM is a non-native plant that is quickly becoming a problem for our lakes.  It forms thick mats of vegetation on the lake that can become tangled in boat propellers and oars.  In addition, such thick plant cover makes fishing and swimming less than enjoyable.  The invasive plants also grow so dense that larger fish cannot penetrate them to lay their eggs. Left unchecked, the EWM over takes the plants native to the lake, removing an important food source for wildlife and aquatic birds.

Anyone who fishes by boat or owns or rents lake property has heard of the campaigns to get people to inspect their boats carefully before and after launching them to avoid transporting the invasive plants from one lake to another, but this has met with small success.  In 2009, Jerry Ziegler of the Nature Conservancy and Tim Gerber, a Professor of Biology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, started working on stopping the spread of EWM in Lake Lulu in Walworth county.  They arranged outings with Biology students during which participants dive down with snorkels or scuba and carefully remove the invading plants.  Support crew help to bring the plucked plants into the boat and keep an eye out for any loose pieces of the plants that could replant themselves. The bad thing is, that the EWM is not that easy to eradicate.  It grows back.  Tim then got the idea to spread bio degradable mats of mesh woven with native plants such as pond weed on the lake bottom where the EWM was removed. This is a very promising weapon in this battle.

I became interested in this after I read an article about it in the Milwaukee Journal- Sentinel.  I e-mailed Tim and asked if I could join his mission with a group of divers from my shop.  He told me they would be very appreciative of the help, so we made a plan to meet at the lake on June 14 for weed picking and whatever else he needs us to do! (He’d like a little recon, perhaps with photos of an area at a depth of 40ft.)

I already have several volunteers and I hope to have a strong showing from Manta Divers.  Mike and I have decided that we will provide tanks for the group, as well as bring our portable gas grill. Our divemaster, Tater has offered to bring his gas grill, too.  Participants need only bring their gear and whatever they want to eat (cook on our grill) and drink that day.

Hopefully, we will all end the day with a feeling of accomplishment for the good we have done for the environment, in addition to the knowledge that we needn't sit back and do nothing.  We are all capable of taking that first step toward a healthier environment. 

For a video on the topic, click here.