Indeed, NH Fish and Game requested that the treatment be kept 300 feet from suspected loon nests. The endangered species is the "Bridle Shiner". It apparently likes to breed in milfoil. The NHFG fish biologist feels getting rid of milfoil is impossible anyway, and doing so will disrupt the population of the Bridle shiner. A quote from the memo includes:
Milfoil fragments were abundant throughout the area. The argument that not treating an area due to the presence of loons or bridle shiners will result in an expansion of milfoil in subsequent years, does not take into account the abundance of milfoil in untreated areas and the prevalence of milfoil fragments throughout the lake. In other words, milfoil cannot be eradicated and will expand into suitable habitat unless it is treated year after year. This approach is costly, unsustainable, and actually destroys habitat for certain species (i.e. bridle shiners). The threat of extirpation of a sensitive species should therefore outweigh the temporary reduction in milfoil coverage.
Milfoil in this area of the lake is distributed among native plants and does not appear to be impacting fish and wildlife. It actually appears to benefit many fish species. It would be more cost effective in the long run to accept milfoil as a component of the ecosystem and to take a more conservative approach toward milfoil management that focuses on reducing conflicts with boating and swimming while taking into account the needs of fish and wildlife.
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