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County Executive's Office

Research Partners to Host Public Informational Meeting on Turville Bay Aquatic Plant Research Project

November 08, 2013
Sue Jones, Dane County Office of Lakes and Watersheds (608-224-3764, jones.susan@countyofdane.com)
Land & Water Resources

Research Partners to Host Public Informational Meeting on
Turville Bay Aquatic Plant Research Project

 Monday November 18, from 7- 8:30 p.m.

(Madison, WI) Dane County, Wisconsin DNR, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have completed their cooperative Turville Bay research project and have scheduled a public information meeting to discuss the results with area residents.  The meeting will be held Monday November 18, from 7- 8:30 p.m., in Room 1 A&B of the Lyman F. Anderson Agriculture and Conservation Center, 5201 Fen Oak Drive on Madison’s southeast side.  The meeting will begin with a presentation of research results, followed by questions and answers with the scientists and managers who were involved in the research conducted from 2008 to 2013.

This project evaluated the response of selective early-season herbicide application and cutting of aquatic plants on Turville Bay, the southwest area of Lake Monona in the Yahara River chain of lakes, on Eurasian water milfoil (EWM, an invasive aquatic exotic plant) and on native plant communities.

Eurasian water milfoil begins growing early in the year, and creates a dense growth canopy which shades out native plant species. Cooperating scientists and managers wondered if controlling EWM early in the season would give an advantage to native plants. The research project found that both herbicide and harvested early-season treatment resulted in significant decreases in EWM. Mechanical harvesting produced more variable results, but better protected native coontail plants. The herbicide treatment resulted in longer control of EWM than mechanical harvesting.

A final report and fact sheet about the project are available on the Dane County Lakes and Watersheds web site:  www.danewaters.com.  

 

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