Invasive Species in Minnesota have become a huge issue for our 10,000 lakes. More and more individuals are trying to stop and prevent their presence in our lakes. This is because as invasive species develop a superior existence within the lakes, there are less resources and space for native weeds and animals. Consequently, it will diminish the amount of inherent weeds and animals that are meant to be in that specific lake and keep the ecosystem balanced. There are many methods that one can use to try and stop these species from spreading and, ultimately, taking over lakes. But, before you can address how to get rid of them, you need to understand them. This blog post will help inform you of a few different types of invasive species in Minnesota.

Eurasian Watermilfoil

Eurasian Watermilfoil is located in numerous lakes across the state. It is well known as being a common nuisance among different lakes. To know how to distinguish it from other plants, Eurasian Watermilfoil grows toward the surface of the water and has characteristics that make it look like a strands of tangled stems. It also appears to look like a mat that is laying on the top of the water.

This plant populates quickly because if a part falls off of the stem, it can settle and grow new roots. That is why it has become a major problem for many lakes. Once it is found it can repopulate rapidly.

To learn more about Eurasian Watermilfoil, click here!

Curly-leaf Pondweed

Curly-leaf Pondweed is the chameleon of the invasive species in Minnesota. It appears to be reddish-brown in the water, but once you pull it out, you can see that it is actually green. The leaves of this plant are also what makes it stand out from other lake weeds. They are medium length and have sharp, serrated edges. This plant is also one that is rooted in the ground and can be growing in up to 15 feet of water.

To learn more about Curly-leaf Pondweed, click here!

Brittle Naiad

Brittle Naiad has a more “bushy” appearance. This is because the leaves are clumped together at the top of the stem. The leaves are pointed, come out of the top of the plant, and have a drooping look. It is a submerged plant that posses a greenish color.

There are currently six different lakes that posses this invasive species. It is a danger to Minnesota lakes because it steals food and lake bottom from the native plants. Therefore, the indigenous plants will not be able to survive and the lakes’ ecosystems will not be stable.

To learn more about Brittle Naiad, click here!

Starry Stonewort

Starry Stonewort reflects similar characteristics to Chara, but it Chara is native and Starry Stonewort is invasive. Chara is native because it provides necessary nutrients and protection for fish and other animals living in the lake. Starry Stonewort, on the the other hand, does not provide the same benefits. Both Chara and Starry Stonewort are developed forms of algae. Therefore, they do not have all the same elements as normal plants. It is a common misconception that these are plants, but that is not the case.

To learn more about Starry Stonewort, click here!

Brazilian Elodea

Brazilian Elodea originates from South America. It is the least common to see out of all the other invasive species in Minnesota. This is because it is mostly found in the southern and eastern parts of the United States. However, it has been found in Minnesota. This invasive species also competes with other native plants and animals for life. It does not provide a suitable area for fish or other animals to take protection because it can grow to be very long.

This plant is dissimilar from the other invasive species in Minnesota that are listed because it can be rooted or floating.

To learn more about Brazilian Elodea, click here!

Zebra Mussels

Zebra Mussels have become very popular in today’s water talk. They are little mussels with very sharp shells. This is where they become a safety hazard for people when they are swimming or standing in water. Zebra Mussels are also harmful because they attach themselves onto rocks, boat lifts, boat motors, and basically any hard or solid object. They are threatening for their hazardous shells, but they can also ruin people’s boats by getting into the motor. This results in the pipes of boats getting clogged with these invasive animals and bursting the pipes.

Along with being painful, Zebra Mussels are also known for making lakes incredibly clear. This is because they filter the water by feeding on algae. From a distance, this may not appear to be a bad characteristic, but the algae is important for other parts of the lakes’ ecosystems. Other fish and animals rely on the algae for food.

Lastly, Zebra Mussels are also known for causing problems with the ecosystem because they attach themselves to anything hard and, eventually, will take the object over. This may not seem like an immense concern for objects like rocks that are not alive. But, they also attached themselves to objects that are living. For example, they are known for killing off other mussels and plants when an abundance of them attach themselves to the live object and completely taking it over. That is another one of the many reasons that Zebra Mussels are seen as a dangerous invasive species.

To learn more about Zebra Mussels, click here!

To learn more about Invasive Species in Minnesota, click  here!

“Saving Your Lakeshore” is our new featured article in Wayzata Life and Deephaven Life! It is a honor to be featured in these prevalent, neighborhood-oriented magazines. It is extremely important to us to be present in our surrounding communities.

Overall, this article is about how our fall cleanup services can help prepare and save your lakeshore next summer. If lake weeds are left to decay during the winter, they will result in the creation of muck.

To read the full article, click here!

 

Change makers: people who are actively trying to transform and alter the world they live in. This could be a peaceful protest, schools teaching creativity, or even scuba divers being ecologically innovative in your backyard. Here, at Waterfront Restoration, we are change makers in our community because we are diving deeper than just removing our clients’ lake weeds. We love having the chance to get involved and help others by using our talents and specialties. Overall, we are change makers because we want to see the lake weed removal business transform into a more eco-friendly, and community oriented industry. We also love to support other change makers who are present in our community. 

What Happens to the Lake Weeds?

After we gather each weed that was extracted By-The-Root, we perform the disposal process. The difference that our process makes is that we do not simply throw the weeds away. We donate them. The lake weeds go to the Chanhassen Arboretum, and other local charities to be used a compost. The Donation Garden, specifically, uses the Eurasian Watermilfoil that we collect. Using the lake weeds as compost means that the weeds are placed by the other plants to help support their growth. At the Donation Garden, they are used to help grow healthy food to be donated to local food shelves. At the Arboretum, the weeds are used help other plants grow and thrive. Therefore, when we extract our clients’ lake weeds, the client, and ourselves, are making a positive impact in the community. 

 

 

Related links:

Benefits of Composting

The Donation Garden

Chanhassen Arboretum

Our Work with the Long Lake Fire Department:

We have been working with the Long Lake Fire Department to clear out their lake weeds. The Long Lake Fire Department has a boat docked on Lake Minnetonka in case there are any fires on the lake. Therefore, it is important that they are able to respond as quickly as they can. The issue with where they are docked is that there are a lot of lake weeds. This causes it to be difficult for them to maneuver their boat out into the open water. That is where we come in. We have our crew go in and extract the weeds, free of charge. Our goal is to be able to help them, and others who are in danger, through our services. 

Our connection with the Long Lake Fire Department is maintained through our Marketing and Sales Manager, Derek. When he is not working with clients or spending time on the lake, he is a volunteer firefighter. At Waterfront Restoration, we love to get involved in the community, whether it is with the business or our personal lives.

Being an active member in the community is an important factor for us. We pride ourselves on the difference we make. The purpose of our donations of lake weeds is to not only make ourselves feel good about helping others, but also to help our clients be able to make a difference. It is their lake weeds that are having the impact, we are just the organizers. Furthermore, being a change maker and sparking innovation is at the core of our business and is how we define success!

To learn more our difference and how we are making a change, one weed at time, click here!

Below is a list of 4^th of July events on the lake that are going on around Minnesota. We created a blog post to help you decide how to spend the day celebrating America’s Independence!

Lake Minnetonka

On the Lake:

You probably saw this one coming, but a very popular place to spend the 4^th of July is on Big Island. This is where many Minnesotans gather to celebrate. TIPS: get there early to ensure your boat gets a good spot, wear water shoes to protect your feet, and a water-proof case for your phone is never a bad idea!

Excelsior Commons Park:

At this community gathering, there will be contests, activities, fireworks, concessions, and a petting zoo. This will be a great place to bring children to celebrate-I mean, who doesn’t love a petting zoo! Not to mention, this park is near many restaurants and boutiques.

This event takes place on the 4^th of July from 9:00am-10:00pm. There is an estimated number of over 200,000 attending this event!

To learn about the 4^th of July celebration at the Excelsior Commons Park, click here!

Prior Lake

On the Lake:

The Prior Lake Association is hosting their annual boat parade starting at 1:00pm. This parade will start at Charlie’s on Prior and then will move down to Lower Prior lake.

Another event that is happening is the firework show. The show will start around 10:00pm on Lower Prior Lake.

To learn more, click here!

Any Other One of 10,000 Lakes:

If you are looking to spend time on one of the other 10,000 lakes, we have you covered there too. Below we have listed our favorite things to do on and around the lake.

1.  Go boating

   • This is a great way to cool off and enjoy the breeze!

2.  Try a new water sport

   • Whether it is skiing, tubing, wake boarding, or even surfing, get out there and try it! But, if water sports are not your thing, then just enjoy the show.

3.  Catch some rays

   • Just make sure to apply, and reapply, the sunscreen.

4.   Join or start a boat parade

   • This is a fun way of getting involved in the community to celebrate the 4th of July! Just find some American decorations, decorate your boat, and start a train of boats.

5.   Have a picnic on the lake

   • Pack some snack food, such as fruit, crackers and cheese, and some fun drinks, to last on the lake all day. This way you can stay out all day and celebrate how great our country is!

Overall, there are many different ways that you can spend your 4th of July here in Minnesota. The #1 recommendation we have? Find a lake! Whether it is your own, or a friends, get out there and enjoy it.

If you do realize after your 4th of July events on the lake that your lakefront may need some work, give us call at (952) 356-0614 and we can help you get it weed-free.

To learn more about our services, click here!

The Wayzata Life and Deephaven Life Magazines featured us in an article entitled, “The Underwater World of Lake Minnetonka.” The article touches on our services and what we do best. We are honored to be featured in such influential and community oriented magazines. These magazines are exclusively delivered to the homes of individuals living within Wayzata and Deephaven. Therefore, the purpose of the magazines are for people to learn more about their community and to get recommendations for businesses in their area.

To read the full article, click here!

 

We were also fortunate enough to be featured on both the Wayzata Life and Deephaven Life Facebook pages. These pages are ultimately used to recommend trusted businesses to community members. Servicing clients for 15 years has earned us the expertise and reputation of being the best. Overall, our quality services and wonderful employees are what makes us stand out from the crowd!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To learn more about what makes us the best in the business, click here!

To learn more about these magazines and their publisher, click here!

Providing eco-friendly lake weed removal services is important to us as a company because we want our actions to have a positive impact in the world. This is why Tom Suerth started the first SCUBA By-The-Root removal service in Minnesota. He wanted to introduce a process that would provide excellent results, and protect the lakes. Spending time on lakes in Minnesota is what makes summer, summer! We want to ensure that the lakes are protected and will be usable for years and years to come! Below we have discussed what makes our company so eco-friendly:

The Process Itself

Our process is performing SCUBA By-The-Root weed removal services on Minnesota lakes. You may be wondering what that service entails. It consists of having a team of scuba divers dive down to the bottom of your lake and pull out the lake weeds by their root. This ensures instant and longer-lasting results.

This process is eco-friendly because we use humans to target the different weeds specifically.  Our divers use their expertise to single out the weeds for extraction. Other less targeted methods may cause mass removal of every lake weed and aquatic animal that is living within the area. There are some weeds, such as Chara and Eelgrass, that we like to leave untouched because it is a vital part of the ecosystem. Using chemicals can affect certain weeds that maybe should not be touched and can affect the animals living within the area.

Removing the weeds by having divers swim to the bottom also allows them to remove any dangerous objects. This ensures that people and animals swimming in the water are not injured.

This makes our method the best and safest for your lake! 

The Products We Use

The products we use, such as muck pellets, are also eco-friendly. Our muck pellets are organic, and contain safe and beneficial bacteria that will not harm aquatic species, fish, waterfowl, or people. The lake will still be able to maintain the ecosystem, and the animals, and people, who have interactions with the lake, will stay healthy.

Disposal of Weeds

Instead of letting the weeds decay and sink to the bottom of the lake when they are extracted, we dispose of them ourselves. We gather the weeds and donate them to local places in our community so they can use the weeds as fertilizer. This is making an environmental impact because we dispose of the weeds properly and allow people to reuse them in a new way.

Why is Being Eco-Friendly Important?

Being eco-friendly is important to keep the lakes safe. It ensures that the ecosystems will continue to be balanced and thriving for years to come. Below is a linked article that talks more about the importance of protecting our lakes.

https://www.conservationminnesota.org/interests/lakes-rivers-water/

 CALL or TEXT US NOW at (952) 356-0614 to schedule a consultation!

 Our lake weed control services fight potentially harmful invasive species.  Invasive species can quickly dominate the native ecosystem, and it’s important to address them in the early stages of growth before they have completely taken over and killed off the plants and animals that once called the area home.  Additionally, they can make it difficult to enjoy your lakefront home because of the mess they may create along your shoreline.  Different species grow at different times of the summer, so it’s beneficial to look at when you might expect to see them so you can be ready to utilize lake weed control services for their removal.

Eurasian Watermilfoil

Introduced to Minnesota around the 1950’s by boats and water birds. You can mostly find this plant in nutrient-rich lakes and can look like thick underwater strands of tangled stems. It can appear like a mat of plants on the water’s surface. Eurasian Watermilfoil is well known for growing extremely fast.

How can we help?

We provide a 98% weed free area regarding Watermilfoil removal.

Curly-leaf Pondweed

The fun fact about this plant is that it can appear to change colors! The chameleon of the invasive plants. It usually looks to be reddish-brown in the water, but once it is pulled out, it looks green. Besides the color, you can identify this plant because the leaves are somewhat stiff and have a serrated edge to them. You’ll only see these color changers growing in up to 15 feet of water.

How can we help?

We provide a 98% weed free area regarding Curly-Leaf Pondweed. The best way to extract this invasive plant is by-the-root removal.

Coontail

This is often seen as the “twin” of Watermilfoil. Its leaves are spiny and forked and resemble those of Watermilfoil. Coontail is a floating weed and can ride the waves’ current.

How can we help?

We provide a 98% weed free area regarding Coontail removal.

Chara

Chara can be considered algae 2.0. It’s most commonly referred to as a plant, but it’s really an advanced form of algae. Its skills involve stabilizing bottom sediments and providing food for waterfowl and acting as a cover for fish.

How can we help?

We actually like to keep Chara untouched because of the benefits it provides to the lake. It helps prevent the growth of invasive species, while providing the necessary resources to many aquatic animals.

Eelgrass

Also known as “wild celery”, Eelgrass is common in semi-shallow water. It is known by its appearance of having long, thin leaves. It can also grow up to 3ft long! Like Chara, Eelgrass can help balance the lake’s ecosystem.

How can we help?

Like Chara, we like to keep Eelgrass untouched to further protect and stabilize the ecosystem. It is a necessity for many aquatic animals.

Zebra Mussels

Out of all the species listed, Zebra Mussels are the world traveler, believed to have come from the Caspian Sea in Europe.  Zebra Mussels get their name from the stripes on their shell and spread fast. One summer your lake may have none detected and the next the whole floor of the lake may be covered! They are extremely sharp and can hurt to step on.

How can we help?

We can remove the zebra mussels from your lakefront. Additionally, boat owners can contain Zebra Mussels through boat inspections offered by Waterfront Restoration.

 

Lake weed control services are our specialty. Call (952) 356-0614 or email us today to schedule your free consultation!