history of eurasian milfoil in cazenovia lake

Eurasian Milfoil first entered the United States in the 1940’s most likely in the ballast from ships and as an exotic aquarium plant. It has spread rapidly throughout lakes waterways since its introduction.

Eurasian Milfoil first entered Cazenovia Lake in the early 90’s; most likely from the bilge water from boats. As the invasive weed began to spread in the lake the Cazenovia Lake Association (CLA) introduced mechanical harvesting as a method to manage the growth of the weed and to provide enhanced recreational activities for lake users. 

Eurasian Milfoil grew rapidly during the early 2000’s. Propagation of the plant occurs through clippings generated through harvesting and boat propellers. CLA soon realized that one harvester was not sufficient to control the growth of the milfoil in the lake and we looked towards herbicides as a solution.

In 2009 we introduced the herbicide Triclopyr under the brand name of Renovate to better manage the growth of Eurasian Milfoil. We saw immediate results a couple of weeks after the herbicide was applied. It selectively killed the milfoil while not harming our abundant native weed population. It also was not harmful to the wonderful fishing that our lake is noted for.

Since 2009 we have applied the herbicide every other year except one and it has enhanced the water quality of the lake and has led to increased recreational enjoyment for all lake users.

In 2017 the Town of Cazenovia purchased a weed harvester. The new design allowed for fewer fragments that would propagate milfoil growth. The primary purpose of the harvester is to control native weed growth in the North and South ends of the lake.

It is extremely important that CLA continues to manage the growth of invasive species of weeds in our lake. It is important to note that it is not possible to eliminate Eurasian Milfoil from the lake. We will always need a weed management program to keep it under control. If not managed studies have shown that property values can decrease as much as 19%. In addition, recreational water activities will be greatly reduced and can lead to the death of the lake in extreme situations which will have an adverse impact on Town taxes and businesses.

Next year the CLA and the Town plan to introduce an exciting new generation of herbicide called ProcellaCOR. It is applied at a concentration of 100-400 times less than Renovate and there are no fishing or swimming restrictions. The chemical is only traceable for less than one week and it only needs to be applied every three years as opposed to Renovate which needs to be applied every two years.  The CLA will continue its efforts to maintain our beautiful lake for the enjoyment of all.

 Below are two links to articles on Eurasian Milfoil and property value declines if not properly managed.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4198248/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921800910003708?via%3Dihub