Eurasian Watermilfoil
Help track the presence and spread of the “Milfoil Monster” (Eurasian Watermilfoil) in our beloved Bear Lake!
The lake is over 109 square miles, so the more people help to find this invasive species, the more accurate our efforts will be. With your help, we can map where this “Monster” is growing to assist State agencies as they work to treat and eradicate the beast from Bear Lake’s shores.
THE THREAT
The “Milfoil Monster” is far more threatening than the stories we both love and fear of the Bear Lake Monster. It is spreading through lakes and rivers and overwhelming irrigation pipes and ditches. Its viney tentacles reproduce and spread rapidly, forming thick mats, choking out the fish and other native plant-life; blocking out the sunlight to create the perfect habitat for mosquitos and entangling fishing lures, the legs of swimmers, and the propeller of boats!
Eurasian Watermilfoil is a SERIOUS MONSTER! It is an invasive, aquatic nuisance that has been in Bear Lake for the last couple of years, spreading rapidly.
Join us in the fight against the Milfoil Monster! We need all hands-on-deck!
Here’s what it did to Hayden Lake in Idaho:
Eurasian Watermilfoil is a submersed perennial plant with feather-like subersed leaves and flower stems with small flowers and very small leaf-like bracts that typically rise above the water surface.
LEARN TO IDENTIFY
THE ROOTS are fibrous with slender, short rhizomes. It also forms small roots at leaf nodes, especially on fragments, making it easy to spread.
THE STEMS are round without hairs and range in color from pale greenish-tan to red. They become highly branched at or near the water surface up to 6 m long.
LEAVES are feather-like and usually grow in groupings of four.
FLOWERS usually rise above the water’s surface and range in color from cream to purple with a reddish to brown margin. The flowers are wind pollinated.
Eurasian Watermilfoil spreading through Bear Lake, August 2024
HELP STOP THE SPREAD
It’s vital that you DO NOT PULL UP THE PLANT, and please don’t disturb it. This weed spreads by fragmentation: one little piece can grow a new plant. It’s a “Hydra”; cut one head off, and several more grow back. So please leave the removal/treatment to the professionals at the state agencies.
Take Action with Us
Your involvement can make a significant difference in keeping Bear Lake CLEAN, DEEP and BLUE.