X Report any suspected milfoil infestations that are found in lakes.
X Hand pull and remove the milfoil quickly if it shows up in your waterfront.
X Keep you neighbors and any newcomers aware of this problem.
The social attempts at a resolution are a slow process, unlike the weed that spreads so fast. Although the Conventions and the Internet are linking researchers together to compare their findings, this takes time.
Since a balanced population of plant life is the ultimate goal, extreme caution must be taken to ensure the protection of the healthy lake ecosystem.
Although programs are available to help with projects that manage Eurasian milfoil and educate the public, it is expensive and requires a lot of financial assistance. In Minnesota, funding for the DNR s exotic species activities is derived primarily from the surcharge on watercraft licenses. The surcharge for a three-year license period is $5, or $1.67 per year, and generates $1,100,000 annually. Additional appropriations, primarily for specific research efforts, have come from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund and Minnesota Future Resource Fund. The Watercraft Inspection Program alone hires a crew of nearly 30 seasonal Minnesota Conservation Corps members as water craft inspectors each year to work at many public water accesses educating boaters about harmful aquatic exotic species.
500 scientists recently signed a letter to Vice President Al Gore asking him to make control of Aquatic Nuisances species a priority program.
The 2000 Democratic platform believes environmental standards should be raised throughout the world in order to preserve the Earth and to prevent a destructive race to the bottom wherein countries compete for production and jobs based on who can do the least to protect the environment. They claim there will be no new bureaucracies, no new agencies, and no new organizations. They so claim, however, there will be action and there will be progress. That is why, they claim they have worked for eight years to produce the cleanest environment in decades. They want to make sure all the nations participate in this effort.
The 2000 Republican platform believe the governments main role should be to provide market-based incentives to innovate and develop the new technologies for Americans to meet and exceed environmental standards. While they admit the very nature of environmental concerns at times requires federal intervention, they feel the heartening progress made by many of the states and localities demonstrates their unique ability to solve problems at the local level.
The Green Party s policy states that they support the development of Environmental Outlook documents to support environmentally responsible, long range political and economic decision making, based on the best information available from our technical and social scientists. The documents would be used for international, national, regional, state, county and city planning activities.
If a glance into the future would show us telling stories to our grandchildren about all of the miraculous things we used to be able to do in the waters, the same waters that they see as murky weedy swamps, there is no doubt that we would take responsibility. We need to be proactive as well as reactive. We need to take action against what is already in our lakes and rivers and take action to make sure it does not inhibit any new areas. While scientist and researchers are united in the cause to develop and implement solutions that reduce the introduction and spread of Eurasian milfoil, it s up to us, as individuals to support the efforts being put forth to put an end to Eurasian Milfoil.