Lake Samish Association

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Invasive Plants

WHAT:  Aquatic plants form the foundation of healthy and flourishing lake ecosystems - both within lakes and rivers and on the shores around them. They not only protect water quality, but they also produce life-giving oxygen. Aquatic plants are a lake's own filtering system, helping to clarify the water by absorbing nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen that could stimulate algal blooms. Plant beds stabilize soft lake and river bottoms and reduce shoreline erosion by reducing the effect of waves and current. Healthy native aquatic plant communities help prevent the establishment of invasive non-native plants like Eurasian watermilfoil.

It makes sense that the best fishing spots are typically near aquatic plant beds. Aquatic plants provide important reproductive, food, and cover habitat for fish, invertebrates, and wildlife. It's aquatic plants that fashion a nursery for all sorts of creatures ranging from birds to beaver to bass to bugs. In order to maintain healthy lakes and rivers, we must maintain healthy native aquatic plant communities.

WHEN:  In 1997 the Dept. of Ecology, under the Aquatic Plants Technical Assistance Program, concluded there were no "plants of concern" located in Lake Samish.   

LSA ACTION: Articles placed in newsletters. 


STATUS: Recently the Samish Indian Nation gave a presentation at our Community Meeting.  The Samish Indian Nation Natural Resource Department has spent the late summer and early fall 2010 working in the Samish watershed to map the extent of knotweed infestation. Thus far, Samish watershed has been delineated as 285 square kilometers in area. Samish DNR has surveyed 25 acres of knotweed and walked 23241 meters (about 10 miles) of stream. The 2010 knotweed surveying and treatment season is now over. We are now in contact with landowners working to get some treatment projects off the ground starting late summer of 2011 and will begin again surveying spring of 2011.

Japanese Knotweed is an extremely aggressive invasive plant from eastern Asia. Its extensive root system can extend as far as 7 feet below the ground. This allows for prolific growth and regeneration making attempts to eradicate it by hand strenuous and potentially unsuccessful. The plant can regenerate from stem and root fragments, so cutting or mowing the plant will only create a larger issue. Knotweed chokes out salmon habitat. It commonly colonizes along streams, invades lawns and gardens, decreases bank stability, and out-competes native plant species that are vital to a stable and productive ecosystem. Knotweed does not allow native plants and trees to get established. Knotweed has become such a large problem due to its prolific ability to regenerate. When the Samish River floods, knotweed that is established along the banks washes down stream only to land and regenerate somewhere else. Knotweed is also spread when it is not handled properly.

Click on logo for additional details of the program as well as some pictures of knotweed.


If you live in the Samish River Watershed, and have knotweed call us, we can help: 360-293-6404 ext. 111

 

LSA CONTACT:  Joan Ellsworth, 756-7577


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:




* If you are interested in becoming more involved with this issue please contact a current board member.  

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