Is there a need?

What we hear about milfoil in Bomoseen:

  • it’s really bad

  • it’s getting worse

  • it’s crowding out the native plants and reducing plant diversity

  • it’s adversely impacting fish

  • it’s increasing eutrophication

We understand that some individuals are experiencing milfoil problems near their properties.
But what does the data show for the lake as a whole?

Is the milfoil much worse this year?

  • NO! Estimates in 1996 & 2021 show only a 3% increase in milfoil over a quarter century.

  • Other lakes have found year-to-year fluctuations in milfoil; this may be the case for Bomoseen as well

How bad is the milfoil this year? How is it affecting native plants?

  • No one knows the exact acreage or density of milfoil in Bomoseen now or in the past.

  • In 2021, the Lake Bomoseen Association hired SOLitude Lake Management to conduct a submersed aquatic vegetation survey. The LBA used the report from the survey as part of their permit application, so the survey results are publicly available.

  • SOLitude used the point-intercept method; 355 single points (80-100 m apart) on the lake were sampled. The method assumed that if two adjacent points had milfoil, then all the space between also had milfoil. This is a big assumption.

  • The survey found that milfoil was "dense" at only 9% of the survey points. At 72% percent of the points, milfoil was "sparse" or less (a handful or less on a tossed rake). At half the points, another plant was denser than milfoil.

  • The survey found 34 other aquatic plant species in Bomoseen, averaging about 6 species per point. There is no evidence of milfoil impeding native plants.

  • Click here to view a presentation with further details on this survey.

  • Based on this survey, the milfoil is not problematic across the entire lake, or even throughout the 2022 proposed treatment area.

What about the effect on the fish?

  • Anglers love the lake!

  • The sizes of the 1st - 4th place northern pike, bass, and trout have changed little in the 40+ years of the Lake Bomoseen Ice Fishing Derby. During this same time period, milfoil was discovered and spread through the lake. This suggests that the presence and density of milfoil is not impacting fishing, and that fish utilize milfoil beds for habitat.

  • VT Fish & Wildlife Dept.: “…when non-native aquatic plant species like Eurasian watermilfoil exist as part of a diverse plant community or grow in patches with areas of open water, they provide value as quality fish habitat without negatively impacting fish populations.”

  • VT FWD supports aquatic nuisance plant control through strategic non-chemical means in small, localized areas – not widespread chemical removal of milfoil across large areas of a lake.

Is ProcellaCOR EC necessary to treat Lake Bomoseen’s Eurasian Watermilfoil?

  • No! Other plant management strategies are available and used both in Bomoseen and other lakes to control milfoil (combinations of barriers, suction, and strategic harvesting with skimmers).

  • ProcellaCOR EC is not a long-term solution for milfoil treatment eradication and doesn’t even work on some lakes. It is not worth the risks.