Volunteers dig in to remove fragrant waterlily

SEELEY LAKE - The Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) sponsored an invasive fragrant waterlily "dig-it" event on Saturday, July 10. The demonstration project on Seeley Lake is being used to test efficacy of removing waterlily rhizomes to reduce the spread of invasive waterlilies on Seeley Lake. A total of nine volunteers and three CRC staff removed a very large truckload of rhizomes this past Saturday. CRC plans to return to the demonstration site over the next three to five years, at a minimum, to dig rhizomes.

Caryn Miske, executive director of the CRC, explained that removing invasive lilies is a long-term commitment. However, progress can be made over time to reduce this invasive plant.

"Many lakeshore property owners have grown frustrated with trying to remove lilies and are skeptical of such efforts," Miske said. "However, a combination of pulling and cutting has proven to be effective in at least one lake in the Swan watershed."

Heidi Sedivy, the CRC project manager, noted that using the proper removal techniques are important. Rakes and herbicides can have unanticipated, adverse consequences.

"Cutting and digging are preferred techniques as it limits spread and hybridization and reduces the likelihood that treated areas become sites that offer hospitable habitat for other aquatic invasive plants to colonize," Sedivy said.

Homeowners near the demonstration site have committed to working with CRC over the next several years to assist with removal and cutting efforts. Barb Holden, a resident at the demonstration site, is cautiously optimistic.

"I am excited to see the results of the digging and cutting. It was very interesting to learn the correct way to do something that might make a difference in our waters," Holden said. "We haven't been able to use our kayaks in a long time because the lilies are so dense. It was delightful to send the volunteers out in boats and kayaks at the end of the day."

The "dig-it" event will be followed up with CRC's "make-the-cut" competition on July 31. This is designed to serve as a "one-two punch" in pushing back the lily population on Seeley Lake. "We'll just keep working on it," noted Holden. "We'll try cutting at the end of the month and we might try more digging."

Fragrant waterlily is a highly invasive plant that was likely introduced to the region as an ornamental used in private ponds. While its flowers are pretty and fragrant, the damage these plants cause in the ecosystem can be severe. Invasive waterlilies form dense mats and outcompete native plants, creating fishing hazards and reductions to viable native fish habitat and spawning areas.

Lilies can also serve as a breeding ground for invasive fish species which prey on threatened bull trout and other endemic species. The fragrant waterlilies also deplete dissolved oxygen levels in our lakes, making it more difficult for the native animals that call these lakes home. And aside from the adverse environmental consequences, fragrant water lilies pose a hazard for those boating and swimming in our lakes.