Michigan DNR: Boaters be on lookout for new invasive plant
From: abc12.com
BAY CITY, Mich. (WJRT)- Experts say Michigan boaters need to pay special attention this summer after a troublesome invasive species was discovered in autumn 2023.
Joanne Foreman, of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, told ABC12 that a DNR team found the Hydrilla Verticillata in Berrien Springs last fall.
Already prevalent across the US, Foreman said vacationers and merry-makers need to make sure they don’t bring any more back to Michigan.
“It is able to take hold and grow very rapidly. So that means, first of all, that it’s able to crowd out native vegetation that our fish population needs to survive,” she explained.
According to Foreman, the Hydrilla can sprout from root tubers, buds, and even severed parts of itself.
For Michiganders, that means local ponds or lakes could become choked out and inaccessible, with swimmers and boat rotors getting caught in their vines.
Even when they die, they remain a problem.