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Kenai Watershed Forum surveys peninsula lakes for invasive elodea

Kenai Watershed Forum natural resource technician Katrina Danzinger inspects an underwater skimmer for vegetation on Spirit Lake.
Hunter Morrison
/
KDLL
Kenai Watershed Forum natural resource technician Katrina Danzinger inspects an underwater skimmer for vegetation.

On a crisp October morning near a boat launch at the shores of Spirit Lake, about a 25 minute drive from the heart of Soldotna, two environmental scientists manually inflate packrafts.

The duo are donned in waders and boots as the sunshine begins to warm the air. They’ll soon paddle a mile and half to a series of about 20 predetermined points as part of the Kenai Watershed Forum’s elodea monitoring efforts. The nonprofit has surveyed for the invasive plant on Kenai Peninsula lakes each summer and fall since 2017.

“We’re trying to see what kind of vegetation that we can catch, as well as how much,” said Katrina Danzinger, natural resource technician for the nonprofit’s invasives crew. During elodea surveys, she’s in charge of tossing a metal comb-like object attached to a rope into the water. The comb skims across the lake’s bottom to see what aquatic vegetation is collected.

“Ideally, we don’t want to find elodea, that’s the aquatic invasive that we are doing the surveys for," Danzinger said. "But, it’s also good to quantify and identify what other things that we are finding that can help us infer the general health of the lake itself.”

Kenai Watershed Forum Restoration Coordinator Bonnie Bernard uses an underwater viewfinder to look for invasive elodea on Spirit Lake.
Hunter Morrison
/
KDLL
Kenai Watershed Forum restoration coordinator Bonnie Bernard uses an underwater viewfinder to look for invasive elodea on Spirit Lake.

Elodea is native to much of North America but was Alaska’s first invasive aquatic plant, detected near Cordova in the 1980s. It was identified on the Kenai Peninsula a decade ago on Crescent Lake near Cooper Landing. It’s also been found in the Matsu Valley and Fairbanks, and is believed to have been spread via boat and floatplane.

The aquatic plant is long and slender with leaves that grow in whorls of three, and can quickly outcompete native vegetation. Just a small fragment of elodea is enough to take root and create a new infestation.

“It can just drive a whole suite of ecosystem changes in a lake," said Bonnie Bernard, restoration coordinator with the Watershed Forum. "It can promote changes to water chemistry and clarity, turbidity and lots of things that we know are important to juvenile salmon, like rearing and spawning habitat.”

The environmental nonprofit primarily surveys public access lakes that are at a high risk of elodea invasion, including Spirit Lake. They also monitor lakes that have been impacted by elodea in the past. This season, the group has surveyed about ten lakes, including one that’s only accessible via floatplane.

During their recent trip to Spirit Lake, Bernard navigates to survey points referencing a digital map on an iPad. This is the second time this year the duo has surveyed the lake for elodea. But, the team doesn’t detect any trace of the plant. That data is sent to the Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse, a statewide database for invasive species findings.

Currently, the only known infestation of elodea on the Kenai Peninsula is on the western side of Crescent Lake. Bernard says state agencies and environmental groups have been diligent about preventing the spread of elodea, and are ready to respond if and when it does.

“We’re still at a point where we can eradicate it and keep it off of the peninsula if we have eyes on it in time," she said. "If we detect it early and respond rapidly, we have a good chance of keeping it elodea free here.”

The Kenai Watershed Forum’s elodea surveying project is financed by the Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership, which aims to promote healthy fish, people and economies. The project has funding through next fall. Meanwhile, the Watershed Forum hopes to survey another ten lakes next year.

Natural resource technician Katrina Danzinger inspects native vegetation pulled from the bottom of Spirit Lake.
Hunter Morrison
/
KDLL
Natural resource technician Katrina Danzinger inspects native vegetation pulled from the bottom of Spirit Lake.

Anyone who believes they’ve spotted invasive elodea can report it on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s website. You can also dial the invasive species hotline at 1-877-INVASIV.

The Watershed Forum suggests inspecting watercraft and cleaning gear before leaving any lakes that have elodea infestations

Hunter Morrison is a news reporter at KDLL