The Lake County Weed Management Area is once again hosting their invasive weed tour on Thursday. It”s all part of Invasive Weed Awareness Week and it offers an excellent opportunity for the public to see just how many different species of invasive weeds that now call Lake County home. Katherine Blyleven, agriculture biologist with the county”s Department of Agriculture, will host the tour and it will include an opportunity for the public learn about the different invasive plants that grow in the county. The tour will cover both water and land plants.
Lake County has plenty of nonnative plants that are considered noxious. For example, there are thousands of acres of star thistle scattered throughout the county an there isn”t a field in the county that doesn”t some star thistle. It”s that plant with prickly stem and a bright yellow flower. Star thistle originally came from the Mediterranean. It chokes off other grasses and is nearly impossible to kill. It”s also dangerous for horses.
Star thistle was brought in by hay bales that were trucked in years ago. The thistle is also spread when seeds get stuck to the tires of vehicles. In fact, star thistle has now been spread throughout the Mendocino National Forest in remote areas like the Snow Mountain Wilderness Area. There appears to be no way to eradicate the plant and it will be with us forever.
Clear Lake has had hydrilla for several years. It originally came from the East Coast and it is thought that the hydrilla got into the lake by someone dumping an aquarium from a dock. Migrating birds may have brought plant seeds that took hold and thrived. The good news is that it is now pretty much under control thanks to an aggressive eradication program by the state.
There are also many types of fish and animals in the county that aren”t native. Some are a welcome addition and others are considered pests. Largemouth bass are a good example. This popular sport fish is not even native to western United States. It was first brought to California back in the 1890s. It found California waters ideal habitat and is now the most popular freshwater game fish in the state.
Crappie, catfish and bluegills are also not native to California. Some species of trout aren”t native. If these species had never been relocated to the state, just consider what few fishing opportunities we would have.
Of course there are species of fish that are considered as pests. Take carp for instance. They originally came from Europe and were first planted in a small pond near Sonoma. They have since spread throughout the country and are considered by many fisherman as a nuisance. However, there is a small dedicated group of anglers that regularly fish for carp.
We have all heard about the possibility of the quagga mussel getting into the lake. The mussel originally came from the Ukraine and was brought to America in a foreign ship”s ballast tanks.
Lake County is literally awash with wild turkeys, which are also not native to California. In fact, many of vineyard owners in the county now complain about the turkeys eating their grapes. Which by the way, isn”t a native plant. Wild turkeys are considered an excellent game bird by local hunters.
How do are these nonnative fish, birds and plants get into the state and county? In the case of the birds like turkeys, pheasants and fish like the bass, the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) planted them for sportsmen and women. However, many of the foreign plants got into Clear Lake through aquariums that were dumped into the lake or by migrating birds.
Hydrilla is a good example. The plant was first discovered just south of Lakeport near Catfish Slough and most likely came from an aquarium. Within a few months it had spread throughout the lake. Left unchecked it would have completed covered the lake. Other plants also have that capability.
Eradicating unwanted weeds is extremely expensive and most of the time it”s unsuccessful. The best deterrent is to use some common sense and not dump unwanted weeds into the lake and don”t plant them for ground cover.
Registration for the tour begins at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday morning at the Lake County Department of Agriculture located at 883 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport The tour will depart from the parking lot at 8:45 a.m. and take approximately three hours. Following the tour there will be a barbecue at Lakeside County Park. Passenger vans with limited seating will be available on a first-come first-served basis. All other participants will need to provide their own transportation and carpooling is encouraged.
