Invasive plant species in our wetlands and lakes

[cat_man]

Anyone who has fished Utah Lake over the past 10 years knows that this plant didn't used to be there at all, but now has been steadily overtaking the bulrushes and cattails. It makes me sick. Even the birds and ducks can only use the egdes for habitat. It's too thick to penetrate even for them, except at the edges. I know it's ruined some good fishing area over by the bubble up. Wish there was something we could do to get rid of it. Here's a link to a federal gov. site that has technical info about it if anyone cares:

[url "http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/phraus/management_considerations.html"]http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/phraus/management_considerations.html[/url]

Friday, June 18, 2004 - 12:00 AM [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/print.php?sid=27111"][/url] | [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recommend_Us&file=index&req=FriendSend&sid=27111"][/url]

[url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=27111&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0"][#800080]Invasive plant harboring mosquitoes[/#800080][/url]

Caleb Warnock THE DAILY HERALD



Over the past 15 years, Phragmites australis, an invasive reed plant from Europe, has quietly destroyed the majority of Utah Lake's shoreline.

Growing over 15 feet tall, the dense plant has razor-sharp, spiky leaves and puts roots 10 feet deep, said Craig Searle of the Utah County Noxious Weed Program. [url "http://adserver.harktheherald.com/adclick.php?n=a4616ee2"][/url] It is unclear how the plant came to Utah, but a single stem can produce tens of thousands of seeds. And even if the plant is burned to the ground, it sprouts again from its roots, taking over more shoreline each year.

Hundreds of acres of land around Utah Lake's shoreline have been taken over by Phragmites, Searle said. The plant has even closed over an emergency outlet designed to regulate water levels in a flood year.

Now, with the plant harboring millions or even billions of mosquito larvae, Phragmites represents one of Utah County's largest breeding grounds for West Nile virus, said Lewis Marrott, director of the Utah County Mosquito Abatement Program. Because abatement personnel cannot get to areas taken over by the plant to kill mosquitoes, the plant is potentially one of Utah County's largest public health hazards.

"Phragmites is the major obstacle that mosquito abatement faces," said Marrott. "We can't even go through and look for mosquito larvae. The water and canopy under the plant is perfect for mosquitoes to fly under and lay their eggs. We are not able to get in to find the eggs, let alone know where to treat them."

In many places the plant has spread 100 yards into the lake from the shoreline, ruining historic sandy beaches, wrecking critical bird habitat, overtaking all native vegetation, and making vast stretches of shoreline impassable to fishermen and recreationists.

Disputes over the boundary of private and public land on the lake's edge have kept any state or local agency from fighting the plant, Searle said. He and others requested money from the state this year to fight the plant and were turned down. The plant is now so dense and widespread, Searle estimates it will cost $1 million a year for 10 years to burn and poison it into submission.

Because Culex tarsalis, the species of mosquito that spreads West Nile virus in Utah County, can fly 15 miles, mosquitoes born in the forests of Phragmites that surround Utah Lake represent a threat to all residents of Utah County, not just those who live by the lake, Marrott said.

"There is nothing we can do," he said. "We are in a dilemma. Around the edge of the lake this dense growth of Phragmites makes it practically impossible to do any control work for mosquitoes. We are all affected, and it's crazy."

And the plants continue to spread, he said, creating more mosquito habitat.

"If you drive around the county in areas close to the lake, you will see Phragmites starts in barrow pits and along the railroad, all over the county," he said. "It has taken over hundreds and hundreds of acres that used to be prime bulrush and bird habitat. It has choked out the bulrush and destroyed the marsh. It has taken over everything."

West Nile virus was first confirmed in Utah County last August. No human or animal cases have been detected yet this year, but Marrott said the first case will likely show up any day. According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado had the highest number of West Nile virus cases in the country last year, with 2,947 reported illnesses and 61 deaths.

Last year, nearly 10,000 people became ill from the virus across the country, Marrott said. One out of 150 of those became seriously ill, and one of every 10 who became seriously ill was killed by the disease. People over 50 are particularly at risk.

Health Department officials have added nearly $20,000 to the $30,000 spent on mosquito abatement last year, and are spraying and otherwise baiting mosquitoes every day, Marrott said. But until Phragmites is removed from around the lake, it will continue to be the largest mosquito breeding ground in Utah County, immune to all efforts to kill mosquito larvae.

For residents who spend time outdoors between dusk and dawn, health officials, including the CDC, recommend using DEET because it is the most effective repellent, said Susan Chapman, Utah County Health Department spokeswoman. Long-sleeved shirts and pants also are recommended.This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.

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[hustler898]

That sucks!!! I always thought they were a native plant. I've been in UT for less than 2 years and it always astonished me at how thick the "bullrushes" were, now I know why.

I think it's time for a Ut Lake BFT Machete party.
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[cat_man]

The worst thing is, after reading about them, I found that they not only reproduce by seed, but the reproduce asexually through root tubers and side shoots. So even if you chop them down, they'll just spread through the mud and come up again nearby. Although I'm sure cutting before they go to seed would slow down their growth.
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[cat_man]

Here is another big danger caused by those same damned reeds:

Sunday, July 04, 2004 - 12:00 AM [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/print.php?sid=28410"][/url] | [url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recommend_Us&file=index&req=FriendSend&sid=28410"][/url]

[url "http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=28410&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0"][#800080]Saratoga Springs blaze likely sparked by fireworks[/#800080][/url]

Caleb Warnock DAILY HERALD



Children playing with fireworks are believed to have ignited a 60-acre wildfire that erupted among 20-foot-tall dried reeds along the edge of Utah Lake in Saratoga Springs on Saturday evening, nearly destroying dozens of homes.

Hundred-foot flames came so close to Mark Ridderhoff's home that his satellite dish melted, he said. [url "http://adserver.harktheherald.com/adclick.php?n=a4616ee2"][/url]

"These tendrils of fire were going up 100 feet," he said. "Our next-door neighbors and everyone came out with their hoses and we wet everything down, but it would not have saved it. When the fire got within 100 feet, my wet coat was steaming and I knew we had to get out in just a moment."

Though flames came within inches of homes, no house was burned, said Saratoga Springs Fire Chief Dave Vickers. Firefighters from Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Lehi, Utah County, Pleasant Grove and the Bureau of Land Management narrowly saved homes by pouring water over them as the flames bore down. A helicopter also dropped water on the blaze, which began at 4:25 p.m.

"The flames came right up to the houses," Vickers said. "Garden hoses don't put out enough volume to mitigate the radiating heat this fire created, and without enough water and without protective clothing, it chased homeowners off their roofs where they had been spraying their homes with water."

At the last moment, firefighters pushed the blaze back just enough to save the homes, he said.

Crews were forced to cut down trees to keep the flames from spreading.

"We had to remove the fuel," Vickers said. "The fire was spreading both north and south, and as the danger passed one home, it kind of leapfrogged our attack. This is a lakeshore fire, and some of the homes have vegetation that goes right up to the homes."

It is illegal to use fireworks in the area where the fire started, Vickers said.

"We have several reports that juveniles started the fire with firecrackers, and that is under investigation," he said.

Ridderhoff said that ever since he moved into his home four years ago he has been afraid a fire might start in the dry reeds along the lake.

"These reeds are not there naturally," he said. "They grow up and go very dry, and they are taking over the lake. Since we moved here four years ago, they have grown twice as far out into the lake. I have these reeds growing three feet from my balcony. We were afraid that if a fire came through here it would take these houses."

When firefighters told Ridderhoff and his wife to stop spraying their roof and start removing valuables from their home, Ridderhoff said he felt nothing could save the house from the flames bearing down on it.

"There was so much smoke I couldn't see," he said. "I just had this feeling it is going to be gone. With a little more wind, we could have lost $20 million of houses, and no one is taking responsibility. There is nobody that knows what to do about this reed, or how to organize or what to do. Last year they burned some of the reeds to the ground, and it was right back this year with 20-foot-high reeds.

"It is an uncharted hazard."

Orem firefighters also extinguished a half-acre brush fire near 1200 North and 800 East. The blaze, which is under investigation, started around 7 p.m.


[i]Caleb Warnock can be
reached at 344-2543.[/i]This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1. There are 4 comments on this story
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