Residents from Barnstead appeared before the Alton Board of Selectman on Monday night to try to get Alton to help with Barnstead’s fight against an invasive aquatic plant called milfoil. Barnstead’s chairman of the Milfoil Control Committee, Ed Neister, wrote a letter to the Alton selectman to ask them to help form a milfoil committee in Alton. Last summer, Barnstead’s efforts led to a huge reduction of milfoil along the Suncook River. Alton also spent a huge amount of money to treat milfoil last summer in Alton Bay. Neister said “you can spend $5,000 to $10,000 to treat Alton Bay and then do it again the following year. The goal would be to have Alton, Barnstead, New Durham, and Wolfeboro to work together to come up with a long-term plan to make the milfoil manageable. In Barnstead, Locke Lake Colony Association’s president said that the association has spent thousands to treat their milfoil problem only to have to come up with $25,000 more this year to treat a 25 acre patch of re-growth. Not only is milfoil a problem but pickle weed and water lilies were growing near the River View Motel in Alton last year. Eventually it would cause a swamp-like condition preventing the water to flow. Neister did say that the state would be willing to give community members all the training and support they need to form an effective milfoil committee. The goal is to get a committee formed and trained by September so they could apply for a grant from the state to help the town. Milfoil is not native to the state of New Hampshire. Officials believe it came here from the southern New England states. Most likely attached to a boat trailer or engine prop. Here are some tips to help prevent the transfer of milfoil;
-Clean your boat and trailer of all aquatic vegetation before launching to another water body.
-Try to avoid weed patches while driving a speedboat. This will lessen spreading the weed to other parts of the lake.
-Report any suspected milfoil infestations that you find in lakes.
-You can hand pull and remove the milfoil if it shows up on your waterfront.
-Keep your neighbors and any new property owners aware of the problem.
Early detection is essential to protect a lake from exotic weeds.
