Thursday, June 22nd at 9am, Lake of the Woods District Property Owners (LOWDPOA) staff and members of the 2017 LakeSmart team will be initiating a pilot project, and taking measures to bring a patch of invasive purple loosestrife,, in the marsh area adjoining Laurenson Creek in Kenora, under control (In the marsh adjacent to Sedesky Road).
With this pilot project for the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Area, LOWDPOA will carry out a release of neogalerucella beetles to bring the invasive purple loosestrife under control. Neogalerucella beetles are a well-established biological control on purple loosestrife and can be introduced without any permitting requirements other than landowner permission. The land, in this case, is the City of Kenora’s and permission has been granted.
There is an established invasion of purple loosestrife in the marsh adjoining Laurenson Creek in Kenora with an estimated area of 2-3 acres in which loosestrife appears to be the dominant species. In addition there are scattered loosestrife plants along the length of the creek from Laurenson Lake to Lake of the Woods. Purple loosestrife is well known as an invasive species, which out-competes the native marsh species and is highly destructive to marsh ecosystems. “Of additional concern”, noted LOWDPOA President Nancy Salmijarvi, “is the certainty that the purple loosestrife will spread along the extensive shoreline of Lake of the Woods and inland to marshes around the lake unless action is taken.”
“Invasive species are one of the top threats to the integrity of aquatic ecosystems, to the quality of the recreational experience on the water, and to the economic success of rural communities”, commented LOWDPOA Executive Director, Diane Schwartz-Williams. She added, “these threats are not taken lightly in Kenora and the Lake of the Woods Area where healthy lakes are critical to both our quality of life and our economic success”.
With this pilot project it will be possible to catch the loosestrife invasion at a relatively early stage and establish a local population of the neogalerucella beetle to assist in the long-term control of loosestrife, not just around Laurenson Lake, but also in the larger surrounding area as the beetles are strong fliers and their populations can multiply rapidly. For more information on this invasive species and the use of neogalerucella beetles on bringing purple loosestrife under
control, see the article in the June issue of the Lake of the Woods Area News.