Fall 2007 AQUAPHYTE Page 9 Eurasian Watermilfoil in Idaho by William T. Haller, Acting Director, UF/IFAS, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants In April of 2006, the Idaho legislature allocated four million dollars per year for a three year effort towards eradication of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM), Myriophyllum spicatum, in their freshwater systems. EWM was located primarily in the large lakes (reservoirs) of northern Idaho and in many small lakes in the southwest, near Boise. The funding program was directed by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), which uti- lized lake associations, county noxious weed programs, coopera- tive weed management associations, and Native American tribes, as contracting authorities to conduct the effort. By the summer of 2006, hand removal, benthic barriers and herbicides, as well as educational programs, were all being utilized to reduce EWM populations in the state. In November 2006, a peer review panel was established to evaluate and make programmatic recommendations to the ISDA to streamline the program and make it more efficient. The panel was chaired by Dr. Joe Joyce, former U.S. Army Corps of Engi- neers, Director of Weed Control Operations for the Jacksonville District, and currently Executive Associate Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources at UF/IFAS. Panel members also included Dr. Ken Langeland, UF/IFAS, Dr. Robert Leavitt, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Chip Well- ing, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Mr. Jeff Schardt, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The panel convened November 12-16, 2006 in Boise, Idaho, and met with numerous state agency personnel and county noxious weed superintendents, as well as many stakeholders, in order to review the eradication efforts. The full report is available at http://www. idahoag.us/Categories/PlantsInsects/NoxiousWeeds/milfoil.php The panel was complimentary of the 2006 eradication pro- gram, a monumental effort to establish a program where none had existed in order to treat EWM in the summer of 2006. The panel discussed eradication at length, recognizing that there is no effort to control EWM in many waterways in eastern Washington state, a close source of plants for reinfestation. The conclusion was to eradicate EWM in counties with small infestations where eradication is possible, and to control EWM around boat ramps and in high use areas in large reservoirs (where eradication is less likely) to minimize movement into nearby waters. The panel also recognized the ISDA as the lead agency, and endorsed the county based weed management agencies as primary operational entities. Following this initial three year effort, additional recur- ring funding should be sought to maintain the effort against not only EWM, but other potentially invasive aquatic weeds. Addi- tional staffing was deemed necessary to represent north, central and southern Idaho in program coordination, mapping, survey- ing and evaluation of contractor performance. Most invasive weed management programs identify a prob- lem, followed by many years of cajoling agency heads and legis- lators to provide funds for control. For example, for many years Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) infestation, Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho. Photo by Scott Culpepper Florida biologists recognized melaleuca (Melaleuca quin- quenervia) as a significant and expanding problem in south Florida. Finally in about 1990, funds were allocated and 15-17 years later, melaleuca is under control in most areas and eradicated from many sites. In Idaho, funding was pro- vided by an informed legislature, which is being followed by program development and new proposed legislation to reduce the risk of naturalization of additional species and provide greater vigilance in natural and aquatic areas. In the southeastern U.S., Florida in particular, we have new invasive pests found on a regular basis. There are certainly many invasive weeds in Idaho (cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and Russion olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)) that are very common and very serious, but aquatic ecosystems in Idaho only contain the aquatic weeds EWM and curly- leaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), with a huge diversity of native species. Hopefully the state of Idaho, with a program and personnel in place, can protect their aquatic systems from further invasive aquatic plants.