I'm not sure I follow your message. This bill (SB 230) would increase the restrictions on weed control in several ways. The bill would result in less weed control.
First, the area that a landowner can treat without even requesting a permit would be reduced. Currently, it is one-half of the vegetation or one-half acre, whichever is smaller. Under the bill, a resident can only eliminate vegetation in an area that is 625 sq ft (25 ft by 25 ft). This is significantly less weed control without a permit.
Second, there is currently no requirement for a permit for any methods of control other than chemical control. Anyone can use a weed harvester or release plant-eating insects to kill vegetation without a permit. Under the bill, these activities would require a permit.
Senator Meeks bill would allow the department to have more review over weed-control activities that are currently taking place without permits.
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Thank you for your response and further explanation of the situation. As
indicated, we are taking several steps to address the necessary balance
between aquatic plants and other uses of the lake.
Our records show that last year 2001, the DNR issued one permit for aquatic plant
control on Lake Maxinkuckee. It allowed use of chemicals to remove milfoil
and pondweeds from two channels on the south side of the lake (total of 2.3
acres). No permits have been issued for chemical control of aquatic plants
in Bass Lake, Starke County, since 1998. If you have evidence of a crime
being committed or witness an incident, please call the county sheriff so
the information can be referred to a DNR Conservation Officer for
investigation.
In shallow lakes like Bass Lake, power boating can also have a significant
negative impact on growth of aquatic plants. A law was passed last year that
allows the DNR to establish quiet zones on lakes for the purpose of
protecting aquatic plants. We are considering the most effective and
equitable use of these rules on several northern Indiana lakes.
Implementation of these kinds of rules requires the support of organized
lake residents and users. We continue to work with the district fisheries
biologist, LARE biologist, lake associations, and other interested residents
to see what can be done to improve the aquatic environment for fisheries and
other uses of Bass Lake and Lake Maxinkuckee.
As you state, it is difficult to eradicate invasive exotic weeds while
providing a suitable environment for regrowth of native plants. Research on
appopriate use of chemicals for selective control of aquatic plants is
ongoing. Lake Webster is an excellent example of a lake where Eurasian
milfoil had become so abundant as to deplete the rest of the plant
community. Use of low dose Sonar in a lake-wide treatment has brought much
of the milfoil under control and appears to be allowing regrowth of native
aquatic plants. The LARE program is working with the lake association to
fund an extensive survey of the aquatic plant diversity and growth in that
lake. The Fisheries Biologist has done tracking work with muskie there to
determine which areas of the lake are most used by muskie and potential
relationships with aquatic plants or other characteristics of the lake.
There are no simple answers to these problems. Every lake responds
differently to management. We welcome your participation in the public
process as we try to determine the best means of managing these lakes into
the future.
Gwen
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Thank you for your interest. I have also emailed Tina Hissong, of Lake Maxinkuckee, who may have additional historical information on the aquatic plants in that lake to send to you.
Gwen
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What is the DNR doing to address aquatic plant problems in northern Indiana
lakes, including Bass Lake and Lake Maxinkuckee? Your recent message
[appended below] to several programs within the DNR was forwarded to me for
a comprehensive response.
The Lake and River Enhancement Program (LARE) and Riverwatch Volunteer Water
Quality Monitoring program are administered by the DNR Division of Soil
Conservation. They provide funding for volunteer water quality monitoring in
streams, IDEM provides training for volunteer water quality monitoring in
lakes, and the LARE program conducts comprehensive studies of lake water
quality and aquatic plant management, followed by prescriptions of land,
water or plant management activities (such as wetland reconstruction or
shoreline stabilization) that improve lake quality.
Many lake associations and other groups of residents have participated in
the LARE program, including both Bass Lake and Lake Maxinkuckee. If you are
very interested in working on lake issues, the program may be a good avenue
for continuing work at your lake. To pursue further water quality
management projects, you may contact Jill Hoffmann, LARE biologist, at
[email protected]. Their information is also on the web at (click
the picture of a pink lily in the upper right to get more links for the
program):
http://www.state.in.us/dnr/soilcons/lare.htmOn the issue of aquatic plant management, many people inside and outside the
agencies recognize the limitations of the older laws and rules that provide
regulation for aquatic plant management. Permits are issued by the Division
of Fish & Wildlife for treatment of small areas of exotic and invasive
plants that harm the native plant diversitiy and interfere with sound
fisheries management. We have to work within the context of those laws until
they are changed by the pressure of the people and legislature.
Current law allows an individual to treat a rather extensive area of their
lakefront without a permit. Much of the change that you see in your lake may
be from individuals who are legally treating their frontage under a permit
exemption. While they are required by law to use chemicals that are approved
for aquatic use, we don't have enough law enforcement officers to have
someone there everytime a resident sprays their lakefront. Like most other
laws, such as speeding in residential areas, legal compliance relies most
often on a sense of responsibility in the citizen. When we are aware of
larger lake areas that look like they've been burned down by a chemical, the
Division of Law Enforcement pursues the situation.
There is a bill currently going through the state legislature that would
reduce the area of frontage that an individual resident is allowed to treat
without a permit. The bill unanimously passed the Senate on 1/24/02 and is
sponsored in the House by Representatives Adams and Kruse. If you would like
more information on this or any other bill, enter the bill number on the
following webpage:
http://www.state.in.us/serv/lsa_billinfo?year=2002&session=1&request=liveWe are also working with lake associations to provide information to
residents about the critical importance of aquatic plants and plant
diversity. The DNR Division of Nature Preserves is funding the first
comprehensive biological surveys of aquatic plants in northern Indiana lakes
by a professor from Purdue North Central. At nearly every one of the recent
annual conferences of the Indiana Lakes Management Society (ILMS), leaders
of lake associations and any interested participants have learned how to
identify aquatic plants. The next annual meeting will be at the Radisson
Hotel in Merrillville on April 5&6. All lake residents interested in
improving management of their lake are welcome to attend. Registration
information is available from Mark Mongin at 317-580-8299 or
[email protected].
A new publication from the DNR covers information on lake plant appreciation
and management. I can send it to you in hard copy or you can download it
from the web by selecting the link "aquatic plants in Indiana lakes
brochure":
http://www.state.in.us/dnr/soilcons/lare/plantcon.htmThe DNR does issue a number of permits for control of plants in lakes,
almost exclusively for the control of Eurasian watermilfoil. This is a
nationwide problem, probably initiated by people dumping exotic plants from
their aquaria or outdoor ponds into local public waters. As far as I am
aware (and I now sign these permits), the DNR very rarely approves chemical
treatment of any emergent plants, including water lilies. The Fisheries
Section and LARE program worked together with outside consultants to develop
an analyze a database of permits for chemical and target plants to determine
the extent of treatment and perceived problems on lakes. A summary of this
project is available by selecting the links "invasion of Eurasian
watermilfoil" and "map of watersheds" on the internet at:
http://www.state.in.us/dnr/soilcons/lare/plantcon.htmI have been in the boats with aquatic plant control companies as they apply
chemicals. District fisheries biologists work with these companies to
maximize control of the invasive exotic plant Eurasian watermilfoil, while
minimizing the impact of the chemical on native species. If Eurasian
milfoil is not controlled, the biodiversity of plants in our lakes will
continue to decrease until there is very little fish habitat or recreational
use left. At this point in time, the only proven way to control the plant
is through chemicals. The LARE program funded an experimental project last
year to test the use of weevils to control milfoil without chemicals. This
project is in its second year and should be showing signs of success or
failure within the next 3-5 years. A summary of this project is on the
internet at:
http://www.state.in.us/dnr/soilcons/lare/weevils.htmSo, I hope you can see that we are not ignoring these issues, and we
recognize the significant connections between aquatic plants and
fisheries--particularly muskellunge. However, it's not going to be easy to
find the best combination of solutions for the multiple uses of our northern
Indiana lakes.
Gwen White, Ph.D.
Fisheries Program Specialist
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I apologize again for the initial misinformation. A state law enforcement officer is investigating this situation. I am providing him with copies of the permits that we have to assist him in this process.
The database that you searched is for Division of Water permits for shoreline alteration. Electronic data on plant control permits is not on the internet yet. They are issued out of this office. So, I suspect that you are not hearing from others at DNR because they know that I am corresponding with you about our permit file.
If you would provide me with a mailing address, I can send you copies of all permits that we have on file for Bass and Maxinkuckee Lakes since the early 1990s. What you refer to as the "south basin" is the area I was calling the "west basin." The permits have maps showing the areas of the lakes to be treated.
I talked to Mr. Scott Shuler of Aquatic Control by telephone on Friday. They conducted the treatment at Bass Lake according to the permit they held in 2000. There was also a herbicide treatment and permit in 1998 but not in 1999. He indicated that they have not treated, and there have been no permits issued, since 2000. They do not plan to treat there during the summer of 2002.
The chemical used was a low dosage of Navigate (2,4-D) to selectively remove Eurasian watermilfoil. There were few if any native species in those areas. Most treatment was 300-400 feet offshore to remove exotic weeds that interfere with boating and eliminate native plant diversity. Only one area along a dock was treated as close as 100 feet from shore. No areas immediately near the shore were treated. The area treated appears large, but is only about 10 percent of the total surface area of the lake.
I can also send you information on the biological impacts of Navigate (2,4-D) which is the granular chemical used for treatment. According to Purdue University, "the granular ester formulations are much less hazardous to fish than are the liquid ester formulations." This is because the granules sink to the bottom of the lake where fish are less likely to contact the product and uptake by plants through their roots is more efficient. Purdue also states that "most herbicides are nontoxic to fishes when properly applied at recommended rates. Fish kills are more likely to occur when excessive amounts of vegetation are treated, then decompose, resulting in oxygen depletion." The EPA spec. label describing ecological safety and MSDS sheets on human safety can be accessed from the following webpage:
http://www.appliedbiochemists.com/navigatefs.html If you wish to ask the lake management company about more detailed description of the methods and reasons for treatment, their telephone number is 812-497-2410 or
[email protected].
As with any DNR permit or location, any member of the public can request information on the permit application and submit comments regarding the state's response. If a permit is requested for treatment at either of these two lakes this summer, I would be glad to send you a copy of the application and allow a 15-day public comment period. During that time, you may recommend conditions to be placed on the activities or suggest that the DNR deny the permit. These comments are coordinated through the Trilakes Fisheries Station, 5570 N. Fish Hatchery Road, Columbia City, IN 46725, tel. 219-691-3181 or you may send them directly to Bob Robertson, the District Fisheries Biologist for that area, or to me.
Finally, if you wish to organize a meeting, I would be willing to come up to Bass Lake or another location of your choice to meet with you and any other interested individuals to discuss aquatic plant management strategies and the DNR permit process.
Gwen
Gwen White, Ph.D.
Fisheries Program Specialist
