02-07-1977 Planning Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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•.*■.'.•-■ Inforuational iMifiet No» 102 STATE 0? MINHESOTA nVIBONHEin SBCnON DIVISION OF FISH AND VILDUR WATER PLANTS —> THEY ARE VALUABLE AND NECESSARY Water plants nay be troublesone along svilnnlng beaches and in boat channels* Fbr this reaedn permits are issued by the Conservation Department Tor destroying or limit ing excessive growths by use of chemicals or by cutting or pulling* Water plants, how ever, are a valuable part of our lakes and streams* They are the naturcCL plant growth of waters, just as grass is in meadows or trees in forests* Fish, ducks and other aquatic life depend on them for food and shelter* Requests, therefore, to destroy aquatic plants should be limited to areas vrtiere they are seriously Interfering frt.th recreatioxial use of waters* Remember that these plants are not ”weede** in the same sense as garden weeds and they are not ’’pollution'*—although fertilization of waters can increase their growth* Here are some of the vcdues of aquatic plants: Pish food— Much more fish food for fish of all kinds is produced in weedy areas than fdiere there are no submerged plants* Insect larvae live on the plants* Sunfish, our commonest game fish, eat some plant material* Pish shelter— Submerged plants provide shelter for young fish and usually nests of bass and sunfishes are located in weedy areas* Northern pike spawn in marshy areas in early spring* Pishing is often best on the edge of weed beds* cation— Submerged plants absorb phosphate, nitrates and other nutrient ele» ments from water and soil as they grow* They compete with the tiny algae for the plant nutrients that cause water to become green in sunmer* Frequently if too many water weeds are destroyed, a heavy growth or "bloom” of algae follows* Some kinds of water plaints, such as rushes, can even absorb and break down polluting chemicals* Water plants, ooth the large kinds such as water weeds and the tiny algae, give off oxygen and thereby aerate waters* This oxygen is necessary for all fish and other aquatic animal life* Protection of ahorelfnes— Aquatic plants, especially kinds such as rushes and reeds, break the force of waves and help prevent erosion of shorelines* ft)od and shelter of waterfovl— Many of the submerged plants produce seeds and tubers that are eaten by wild ducks* Bulrushes and sago pondweed are especially valuable and are often planted for this purpose. Bulrushes and reeds also provide excellent shelter for broods of ducklings* Esthetic values— Several kinds of water plants have flowers that many enjoy* The yel^. low lotus is a protected wild flower* There are six kinds of native waterlilies all of vdilch have beautiful flowers* Arrowhead and pickerel"’^ri are both as ornamental as me jy garden plants* The "natural look" of a lakeshore should Include aquatic plants* They are part of the ecology of the lake* Bcon«v^c values— Wild rice, which is an emergent aquatic plant, produces seeds that are hand harvested* This local industry is worth at least $2 million to the economy of Minne sota* Aquatic plants are the basis of fishing on vdiich more than 1100 million is spent each year in Minnesota.- In recognition of these values the Minnesota Legislature has made SM^uatic plants grow ing in public waters legally the property of the State so they can be protected for the benefit of all the people* Permits issued to destroy them must take the values of these plants into account* Shoreline property owners can help by limiting requests for control permits to areas udiere control is really necessary* In turn we will be glad to help by advising as to best and safest methods* In general cutting and pulling of water weeds with removal is preferable from the point of view of lake ecology to use of chemicals. "Tiis can be done in limited eu:*eas without a permit. In some cases, fiOwever, only herbi cides are feasible* Any use of these requires a permit from the Conservation Department* J.. B .M. I Ik . 4 >4 4-: f' ) h OF NATU David B Aqua tic Ecologi Phil U Fish ar Ecol ogi Adi emai The f1< avian at the 6u(Cjc7 of thi botuTT The gr shrink on whl carcas feed1r shwn amount Duckli quanti Accorc destre In or: shore' PPE:V cc: <