December 13, 2006

Township, municipal, and county government officials; lake association boards; and other local leaders from Southwest Michigan met this week in the Cassopolis Court House in Cass County to learn about what they can do to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species. Experts from the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources, and Michigan Department of Agriculture worked cooperatively to inform decision-makers on ways to encourage local citizens to participate in protecting their water resources by stopping the spread of invasive species and successfully controlling them in Southwest Michigan lakes and streams.

"This cooperative effort among state agencies and local leaders is an important step in understanding and working to prevent the spread of invasive species," said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. "We must all work together to ensure our environment, and our Great Lakes, are protected."

Participants learned about control methods to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive plant species, such as Eurasian Watermilfoil and Hydrilla. The DEQ, DNR, and MDA placed a strong emphasis on preventing the spread of Hydrilla by training the participants on how to search out and identify Hydrilla to ensure it has not infested Michigan's lakes and streams. They also learned that Hydrilla has been confirmed in Lake Manitou near Rochester, Indiana, just 55 miles south of the Michigan border. DEQ staff recently visited the Indiana Lake where Hydrilla was confirmed.

All users of Michigan's lakes and streams are encouraged to learn more about the identification and precautions against the spread of Hydrilla and other aquatic invasive species by visiting the Michigan Sea Grant Web site at http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ais/hydrilla.html.

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"