http://www.physorg.com/news202626863.html
Research by Cornell on the threat to our Ash trees.
Earle Rich            Mont Vernon, NH

The invasive aquatic weed milfoil is choking ponds all over the place, but until now I’ve never seen it implicated in a human death. In Washington state, however, a woman drowned while swimming in a lake partly because she became entangled in the floating weeds. Here’s the story.
We don’t want to get too tabloid-ish here: [...]

We went kayaking on Haunted Lake in Francestown today. The weather was about perfect for temperature although the wind came up as we headed back. It was blowing the wrong way, of course.
Along with lots of flowering water lilies, there seemed to be a lot of strange growths on the bottom of the lake. We [...]

From today’s Globe: “With the invasive (Asian longhorned beetle) recently discovered in Boston, a Northeastern University professor and an undergraduate are attempting to devise a way to find the beetle earlier. Carey Rappaport, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and sophomore Kassi Stein are developing a radar collar that can [...]

Speaking of depressing environmental news, as I was two posts ago, here’s a new one: They’ve found the Asian longhorned beetle in Boston. (Globe breaking news item here.)  Worcester is no longer alone in having this tree-destroying pest … alas.
How long before it’s found north of the state border, I wonder?

The battle against invasive species is more fun to think about when it involves cool technologies (genetic manipulation) or bio-controls (imported predators) - but sometimes the best technique is low tech. That’s why the Nashua River Watershed Association has sent out this invitation seeking muscular waterproof folks to help its ongoing struggle against water chestnut [...]

I haven’t had a depressing invasive-species post for a little while, so here’s one: The AP reports that “rock snot” (didymo), the slimy algae that can coat streams, is still spreading in Vermont. (Story is here.)
It has appeared on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River, but so far hasn’t spread in our state. [...]

Vermont is on the verge of outlawing felt-soled wading boots, part of an attempt to prevent anglers from inadvertently spreading the slimy invasive weed didymo (”rock snot”) from stream to stream. Here’s the Free-Press article, which notes that Alaska has already imposed a ban. The problem is that felt is very hard to clean, unlike [...]

The scourge of zebra mussels arrived in Massachusetts last year (here’s my most recent posting, from December; now that boating season is starting up again, we’ll probably hear more about it soon). These tiny, prolific bivalves have been a real problem in other freshwater areas where they’ve shown up, driving out other species and reproducing [...]

Boaters in Maine have long had to buy a $20 sticker that says “Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers – Preserve Maine’s Waters” both to raise awareness among boaters in hopes that they’ll clean up when traveling from waterway to waterway and also to raise money for the state’s Invasive Aquatic Species Program. Now the state is requiring [...]

The Worcester Telegram has an update (read it here) on research into developing a biological control against the hemlock wooly adelgid, a particularly nasty invasive bug that is threatening the region’s hemlock trees.
Mausel is encouraged that research to date shows that Laricobius nigrinus, a beetle not much larger than a poppy seed, is killing off [...]

The official age of “Herbie” - the American elm in Maine that was officially the tallest of its species in New England until it finally succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease - is 217, reports the Press-Herald. From the story:
The 110-foot tree survived 14 bouts of Dutch elm disease thanks to its caretaker, Frank Knight, who’s [...]

I’m not sure what to make of this opinion piece from the site Moultonboro Speaks about the need to fight invasive milfoil on a New Hampshire lake, spoken via computer-generated voices by computer-generated cartoon characters - except to say that no traditional media outlet would ever have thought of it.

(Spotted via http://www.protectyourwaters.net/)

Worcester, Mass., has chopped down roughly 25,000 trees in an attempt to contain the voracious Asian longhorned beetle, a process that has cost tens of millions of dollars. Another $41 million in emergency funds have been added by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, reports the Globe. There’s a 74-mile quarantine zone around Worcester, within which [...]

The above map was taken from this blog post, which sources it to U. Vermont and Sea Grant researchers. The caption says it all: There are 48 invasive species identified in lake Champlain, and at least another 136 - 136 of them!!! - in waterways that connect to the lake, the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and Hudson River.

I don’t know what else to say except holy cow.