By Tim Douglass

tdouglass@pctribune.com

The Minnewaska Lake Association Board and members of the Starbuck City Council met together last week in Starbuck to gather treatment information and recommendations from a panel of experts on starry stonewort and Eurasian watermilfoil, two invasive plants that have been found in Lake Minnewaska.

The joint meeting started with a presentation by Kevin Farnum, Chair of the Lake Koronis Lake Association to who talked about his association’s efforts to treat the persistent starry stonewort that has infested much of that lake.  Lake Koronis was the first lake in Minnesota where starry stonewort was “correctly identified,” he told the group.  “But it’s hard to believe that a lake in the middle of Minnesota was the first” when the invasive plant was discovered in many lakes in Southeastern Wisconsin.   Farnum said by the time starry stonewort was discovered in Koronis, it had spread all over the main lake.  In that lake it started near a landing in the channel between the North Fork of the Crow River and Lake Koronis.

Farnum recommended that the Minnewaska Lake Association (MLA) and the Starbuck City Council “find an expert and go at this plant with vigor and be aggressive,” he said.  “You can’t let it spread.  You aren’t going to eliminate it, but you can control it.”

Starry stonewort was first found in the Starbuck Marina in 2017 and MLA recently funded and conducted a “meandering survey” in Lake Minnewaska and didn’t find any starry stonewort in the main lake except in an area just outside of the marina in the marina channel.   MLA then treated about 1.52 acres of starry stonewort in that area. 

MLA President Mike Stai, who organized the meeting, said the idea was to come together and “figure out a joint plan so that we can make a difference now.”  

Starbuck Mayor Gary Swenson agreed, stating that he appreciated the information that was provided and hope the two groups would conduct another meeting to come up with a plan to address starry stonewort.

Other experts on the panel that addressed the MLA board and Starbuck City Council included: 

•Steve McComas of Blue Water Science who has been surveying and treating milfoil in Lake Minnewaska since 2013. 

•Amy Kay of Black Lagoon, whose education and background includes working with invasive species, chemical treatments for starry stonewort as well as milfoil.

•Wendy Crowell of the Invasive Species Department with the State of Minnesota who provided expertise on treatment that have been successful.

•Mark Ranweller, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in the Invasive Species department who has been involved in work within the state with treating starry stonewort and milfoil.  

Others at the meeting included MLA board members (President) Michael Stai, Steve Nelson, Tony Carlson and Fred and Naomi Anderson.  The full Starbuck City Council was at the meeting and Ralph Hanson of Pope County Land and Resource Management.  Randy Peterson, Water & Sewer Superintendent for the city of Starbuck was also at the meeting.  

What is starry stonewort 

Starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa) is a large, submerged plant-like algae that can form dense mats in lakes and ponds. These mats can interfere with boating, fishing, waterfowl hunting, swimming and other recreation. Starry stonewort may choke out native plant communities. Native to Europe and Asia, starry stonewort was first observed in the St. Lawrence River in 1978. This species can spread overland to new waters by clinging to watercraft, trailers,  and equipment. Only male starry stonewort has been documented in the United States, so no “seeds” are produced. It produces small, starchy growths called bulbils, and these bulbils or fragments of the stem can spread starry stonewort to new locations. Eradicating established starry stonewort infestations is nearly impossible, according to the DNR website. 

Starry stonewort was first confirmed in Minnesota in August 2015, in Lake Koronis and connected Mud Lake (Stearns County). 

Starry stonewort was first identified in the Starbuck Marina, just off of Lake Minnewaska in 2017. Only 13 lakes in Minnesota are listed as infested with starry stonewort. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has a list of waters infested with invasive species including Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels.