Stimulus funds sought for milfoil control

SANDPOINT — Bonner County is putting in for federal stimulus money to help sustain its battle against Eurasian milfoil and other aquatic invasive species.

County officials admit the application is something of a long shot and there currently is no stimulus funding available. However, if additional stimulus funds do materialize, they want to make sure Bonner County has a chance at receiving them.

“If it becomes available, then they’ll look at the grants they have,” said Leslie Marshall, director of the county’s noxious weeds division.

The county is applying for $1.3 million in funding through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It would be used to target more than 1,000 acres of curly leaf pond weed, up to 700 acres of exotic milfoil and 50 acres of flowering rush.

The objective is to develop site-specific and environmentally compatible control techniques, including chemical, biological and mechanical methods. The plan also includes water quality and water exchange monitoring.

Bonner County Commissioner Cornel Rasor reiterated his distaste for federal stimulus funding, which he predicts will saddle future generations with an economic burden.

“I just hate using fake money,” he said.

Marshall said the Idaho State Department of Agriculture could allocate about $70,000 for milfoil control in the Clark Fork and Pend Oreille this summer. It would a substantial reduction in funding the county has sought in years past.

“But every little bit helps. We would be able to do something,” Marshall said.

The county proposes equipping a pontoon boat with a motor and GPS equipment, purchasing suction dredging equipment and buying herbicides.

The state has also offered helm invasive species control efforts on Priest Lake, which has an estimated 50 acres of milfoil infestation.