Invasive Plants Provide Risk for Michigan Lake-goers
By Beth Florkowski of Fausone & Grysko, PLC posted in Environmental Law on Thursday, August 18, 2016.
For Michigan residents and visitors, there is no better enjoyment than experiencing the abundance of lakes the Great Lakes State has to offer. Unfortunately, there are problems with invasive plants that can hinder the pleasure of these bodies of water.
Invasive plants are any plants that are not native to the area and “invade” causing harm to the environment, human economy, or human health. These plants, once established in a region, can be difficult and expensive to control or remove.
According to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ,) the best way to rid your local lake of the bothers of invasive plants is to detect the invasion early on. To do this, you must be able to identify which species in your lake are native and beneficial to the ecosystem and which species are invasive. To help you out, the DEQ put out a video that explains the four largest plant threats to Michigan lakes and how you can identify them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i7IvA7gK-I&feature=youtu.be.)
The DEQ encourages individuals to spread awareness about these invasive plants as well as notify them if an invasive plant is observed in a Michigan lake. Through a group effort, all individuals will be able to enjoy the beautiful lakes Michigan has to offer without risk of these contaminations.