Milfoil FAQ Archives – Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds

Some postings and commentaries have suggested that there is a link between herbicide applications and the occurrence of cyanobacteria blooms. Do herbicide applications lead to cyanobacteria blooms?

No, it’s not likely that herbicide applications lead to cyanobacteria blooms. Herbicides work by targeting specific aspects of a plant’s internal cellular processes. This allows them to kill one kind of plant, but not another. Freshwater algae and cyanobacteria do share many cellular processes with […]

Jerremy Jones2023-11-01T07:25:51-04:00October 28, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

In recent online postings and newspaper commentaries the phrase ‘spraying toxic chemicals’ appears frequently. Is ProcellaCOR sprayed on the lake?

No. ProcellaCOR is injected by hoses at subsurface depths of the lake from a boat.

A term like spraying may be purposefully used to evoke an image of applicators in hazmat suits using aerosol spray wands around a lake, which is not how ProcellaCOR is applied. Other scaremongering terms like poiso […]

Jerremy Jones2023-10-28T17:34:40-04:00October 28, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

In recent online postings, newspaper commentaries, and in legislative committee testimony, aquatic plant management in Lake St. Catherine was described as ‘nothing short of a disaster for warmwater fish populations’ and attributed to the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. Is this true, and what is it referring to?

No. This quote is from email correspondence between an individual biologist from the Fish Division of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and Misha Cetner from the Vermont DEC, and has been repeated numerous times, and in numerous mediums.

Lakes and Ponds Program Manager Oliver Pierson ad […]

Jerremy Jones2023-11-28T12:07:47-05:00October 28, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

In recent online postings and newspaper commentaries, statements are made claiming that the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) had ‘weighed in’ and opposed the Lake Bomoseen Association’s permit application, and that Vermont DEC and the Vermont DFW are in conflict. Is this true?

No. As you can hear in his testimony to the House Committee on Environment and Energy on March 15th, 2023, Lakes and Ponds Program Manager Oliver Pierson dispels the myth that the two departments don’t work togethe […]

Jerremy Jones2023-10-28T17:29:56-04:00October 28, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

A recent commentary that appeared in the newspaper written by a university professor with previous work experience at the EPA stated: “…the idea that there is one person in the [Vermont] DEC with sole power to allow or disallow the addition of toxic chemicals into our lakes and streams, is appalling. One person can submit a permit request and another person can grant it? At a minimum, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation should be in agreement on any pesticide approval.” Is it true that one person has the sole power to allow herbicide use, and no other departments are involved?

No, this is a gross distortion of the permitting process. This commentary was written in response to the Lake Bomoseen Association (LBA) submitting a permit application to use ProcellaCOR. All herbicide permit applications go through a rigorous process, involving numerous departments and scientists. […]

Jerremy Jones2023-10-30T12:11:47-04:00October 28, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

A recent newspaper article contained this quote attributed to a university professor with previous work experience at the EPA: “ProcellaCOR is not selective at all. It will not just target the milfoil. It will target indiscriminately every plant in the lake. ProcellaCOR will decimate pretty much all the plants in the treatment areas.” Is this true?

Absolutely not. ProcellaCOR is highly selective to milfoil. The specimen label does list a few plants native to Vermont that can be impacted by ProcellaCOR, for example, coontail and watershield. When spot ProcellaCOR treatments […]

Jerremy Jones2023-10-30T12:11:15-04:00October 28, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

As was previously mentioned, tremendous cost and effort goes into milfoil control, 99 Vermont lakes are currently infested, and only 1 lake is known to have eradicated it. Isn’t all this time, effort, and money wasted since milfoil ‘keeps coming back’?

The goal of milfoil management programs is control, not eradication.

Left unchecked, milfoil will spread throughout the littoral zone (the area where light penetrates) of a lake, can form dense beds, and outcompete and suppress native plants, including rare, threatened and endangered species.

[…]

Jerremy Jones2023-11-01T15:44:19-04:00October 28, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

Milfoil has been present in Vermont for over 60 years, hasn’t ‘Mother Nature’ adapted?

Vermont waterbodies have not “adapted” to milfoil, which is why tremendous effort – including at a significant cost – goes into controlling current infestations and preventing new ones. Milfoil has no natural controls to keep it in check as it does in its native regions. The US Department of Agricul […]

Jerremy Jones2023-11-01T15:41:02-04:00October 8, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

It was previously mentioned that there has been misinformation about the herbicide ProcellaCOR and the Aquatic Nuisance Control (ANC) permitting process. What is this in reference to?

In early 2022, the Lake Bomoseen Association applied for an ANC permit to use ProcellaCOR which resulted in misinformation being spread online and in newspaper commentaries.

To help combat this misinformation, and to provide fact-based information on ProcellaCOR, the Vermont Department of Environ […]

Jerremy Jones2023-11-01T15:38:45-04:00October 8, 2023|Milfoil FAQ|

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The Federation of Vermont Lakes and Ponds, Inc.

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The Federation of Vermont
Lakes and Ponds, Inc.