Eurasian Milfoil, an Invasive Danger to American Waters

Eurasian milfoil is a fragile looking flora that was once a everyday flora to find in fresh water fish tanks.

All The Same, It did not stay there. Now it is considered an predatory species that threatens North American fresh water streams, rivers, pools and lakes.

In its indigenous Eurasian surroundings it is a comparatively innocent flora (but still a bit of a pest) but here, out of its regular waters, it takes over and destroys ecosystems, clogs water intakes and power plants, and makes them undesirable for recreational purposes.

Several theories are around that explain its foundation. One is that it caught a ride on the ballast of a ship coming from Europe or Asia. That is a good guess. When they tested ships departing occupied water, 25% carried some milfoil with it. The other main possibility is it was introduced by people throwing out aquarium plants or packing material used to ship live worms.

The most hazardous thing about this plant is that it can adapt to live in about every kind of aquatic habitat in North America. It can live in the cold of Washington State or the warmth of Florida. From fresh waters of the Rockies to the salty waters of the salt marshes it can flourish. To make its life better, nothing seems to like eating it.

Once established it propagates fast in waters that range from 2 feet to up to 30 feet, snarling just below the surface and clogging out the native vegetation. Some floras like millet are given small chance to grow, which causes troubles because they are a food source for many and a home for small marine creatures. This matted growth also causes problems for any mammals or birds that fish for their food. Further more, the huge mats keep the wind from properly oxygenating the water and choking adult fish as well as assisting spawn algae blooms which further worsen the problem.

These plants are problematic to individuals as well. Not only does milfoil decrease water quality but the mats make shoreline swimming hopeless. Milfoil hinders fish breeding, which means fewer fishermen. Milfoil is also a problem for boaters because it can become trapped on the engine, cause dangers for water skiers and block navigation hazards from the boatmen view.

Communities and businesses are also put at a disadvantage because of this small water plant. Water intakes or over flows can get clogged leading to shortages in some places and flooding in others. Dams and electricity output can also be affected if the water plant mats get caught up in the dams.

Milfoil control has been difficult. Broadly Speaking poisons are out of the question as they destroy the very ecosystem they were meant to save. Physically removing the flora isn’t fully successful because the parts that break off can form new plants elsewhere. For that reason the large automatic harvesters are only used in the worst cases and then only as a first step. Milfoil has been more successfully removed by vacuum dredging, which can pick up any damaged pieces left behind. A weevil maybe the solution to the milfoil dilemma as it love to eat the water flora and is a natural way to battle the weed.

Milfoil is just one type of invasive species that has outstayed its welcome; many other invasive aquatic plants are still thriving across the nation. When plants or creatures are introduced outside their natural surroundings, you can’t anticipate the implications.

Washington DC Tourists

There’s so much to see and do in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC that it is kind of very unlikely to see them all in a single visit. However, that didn’t stop my better half and kids from making an attempt to cover everything on our recent vacation. Here are just a few of the highlights we experienced on our trip.that trip.

Our first challenge before we even left home was finding an affordable place to stay in the Washington, DC area. For the most part, hotels are pretty expensive in that area and make it tricky to locate a good place for a family of 5 to stay without fully blowing the old budget. We ended up choosing the American Hotel in Bethesda, MD and are awfully happy with our choice. It’s not the most glamorous hotel in the area but awfully convenient, clean and affordable. So, we highly reccomend it when looking for Bethesda hotels.

Then, on to the traveller sites we enjoyed. Naturally we started with the famous National Monuments and Commemoratives . These included the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial,the Washington Monument, and the Arlington National Cemetery. There were several more as Washington is a city of monuments and memorials. Many are found on the nation’s Mall but others are pretty spread out so you will get an excellent walk exercise if you plan to visit them all on foot as we did. (I admit I had to visit my Sacramento podiatrist when I got back home to deal with some foot pain from so much walking)

Next came our tour of the three different branches of official Govt buildings.When sightseeing in Washington, D.C, the regime, the Capitol and the Supreme Court are key places to visit. Touring these impressive buildings will help you understand more about our executive and its history. Plan in advance and learn about schedules and special events. The state is the home and office of the President and is found at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. To order a tour you must make a request through one of your members of Congress. Group tours are held Tuesday through Sat. from 7:30 a. M. And are lined up one month ahead.

At the east end of the National Mall stands the majestic U. S. Capitol Building. Due to heightened security, the Capitol is open to the public for led tours only.

The one thing you will need to do for sure is take a lot of photographs as you have a tendency to remember everything as you will remember everything as you are so impressed at the time but believe me, your memories have a tendency to fade and it is always better to have some photographs to help bring those memories back to pointy focus. I’m not a Commercial Photographer but wish I was to have better captured some of the beauty we saw on ths vacation

Also, in addition to the typical tourist attractions mentioned above, you may find that the Washington, DC area has some of the finest restaurants in the country. I suppose this may be due to all of the important politicians that live there as well as the many dignitaries that visit the area and need to go out to eat.

Well, that rather sums up our trip and I can only hope that you get the opportunity to visit the Washington, DC area.