Chemical treatment backed by science

Lake Pend Oreille is a beautiful lake, but not up close. Caroline Lobsinger got it right! The lake and river have some very sick areas. In the past four years the Eurasian milfoil has increased dramatically along the north shore of the river between the Long Bridge and Dover.

After each summer storm, I haul a pickup load away to the dump or to a neighbor's garden for mulch. It may make good garden mulch but sure does not do much for water recreation or aquatic habitat.

Chemical treatment with aquatic herbicides is superior to mechanical cutting,and biological control. Water drawdown may help if we had a very low water level and got lucky with a very cold winter and no snow cover.

Finally, the Legislature and Department of Agriculture got together and have a plan to at least help control this very real problem — I applaud them. There has been a lot of hard scientific work, time and effort spent in getting this far — don't let the "last-minute managers" destroy the best plan we have to help control this very real problem.

GARY MAXWELL

Sandpoint