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Milfoil battle continues on Sutherland; funding options discussed Lake Sutherland, WA - 7/16/03 - People battling the milfoil problem on Lake Sutherland say they’re getting the upper hand on the pesky aquatic weed… although they might have to find a way to continue the fight for several more years. This summer marks the third season of the campaign to control, and perhaps even eradicate milfoil, since it was first discovered in the lake west of Port Angeles. That battle has involved the efforts of scores of volunteers, from divers to pull the weeds off the bottom of the lake, to boat owners and even people in smaller craft to collect and transport bags of weeds off the lake. 27 divers and 50 volunteers launched the latest attack this weekend, and organizers say the program is really starting to make a difference. The director of the Clallam County noxious weeds program, Cathy Lucero… says the struggle against milfoil is making progress and getting more organized all the time. This summer, volunteers are being taught during the middle of the week, before the weekend events, so they can better identify what milfoil looks like. plus, she says more students are getting involved, with some volunteers even going out on their own to tackle the weed. There are still three years of grant funding for the program, but a committee is now looking at ways to battle the milfoil on an on-going basis after the grant. Lucero says one idea being discussed is the formation of a “lake management district”, where the lake property owners could vote whether to implement a small levy to generate continued funding. Lucero says the county is also reminding voters to carefully inspect
their boats and trailers after operating in Lake Sutherland, to make
sure they don’t spread traces of the weed elsewhere. She tells PNN
so far there’s still no evidence of the milfoil spreading to nearby
lake crescent or other local waters. |