Tribe Takes On Eurasian Milfoil
Item: Divers get up close, personal with milfoil/Becky Kramer, SR
Diver
Glenn Edwards emerges from the bottom of the St. Joe River, just south
of St. Maries on Friday after removing milfoil from the riverbed.
(Full-size photo)
More Info: Decked out in diver’s gear, Glenn Edwards submerged for a search-and-destroy mission Friday. His target: Eurasian milfoil. The invasive aquatic weed has gained a toehold in the St. Joe River, a tributary of Lake Coeur d’Alene. To keep the milfoil from invading new territory downstream, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe hired divers to suction it off the river bottom. “We don’t want it spreading northward into the lake,” said Dave Lamb, the tribe’s lake ecologist. Earlier this month, the tribe sprayed 100 acres of southern Lake Coeur d’Alene with an aquatic herbicide, 2, 4-D. The herbicide effectively combats milfoil where it forms thick mats of floating vegetation. But it’s less practical for fighting smaller pockets of the weed in flowing waters.
Question: Do you think the Coeur d'Alene Indian Tribe is more concerned about the health of Lake Coeur d'Alene and the North Idaho environment than local and state governments?
