Invasive Species of Aquatic Plants and Wild Animals in Minnesota Annual Report 2006 for the year ending December 31 Minnesota DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Invasive Species Program 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-4025 contributing authors and editors* Susan Balgie* Jennifer Bury Wendy Crowell* Steve Enger Gary Montz Nick Proulx Jay Rendall Rich Rezanka Luke Skinner Ken Soring Chip Welling Heidi Wolf David Wright Submitted to Environment and Natural Resources Committees of the Minnesota House and Senate This report should be cited as follows: Invasive Species Program. 2007. Invasive Species of Aquatic Plants and Wild Animals in Minnesota: Annual Report for 2006. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul, MN. Copyright 2007, State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources. Preface Each year, by January 15, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is required to prepare a report for the Legislature that summarizes the status of management efforts for invasive species (aquatic plants and wild animals) under its jurisdiction. Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 84D.02, Subd. 6, specify the type of information this report must include: expenditures, progress in, and the effectiveness of management activities conducted in the state, including educational efforts and watercraft inspections, information on the participation of others in control efforts, and an assessment of future management needs. Additional sections have been added to this report to provide a thorough account of DNR’s Invasive Species Program activities and other activities related to invasive species of aquatic plants and wild animals. Invasive Species in Minnesota Annual Report for 2006 Table of Contents Page List of Tables ................................................................................................................. iii List of Figures ............................................................................................................... v Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 9 Expenditures ................................................................................................................. 13 Education and Public Awareness ............................................................................... 21 Enforcement .................................................................................................................. 31 Regulations and Proposed Changes .......................................................................... 35 Watercraft Inspections and Awareness Events ......................................................... 38 Risk Assessment and Risk Management .................................................................... 47 INVASIVE PLANTS Management of Curly-leaf Pondweed ......................................................................... 51 Management of Eurasian Watermilfoil ........................................................................ 64 Management of Flowering Rush .................................................................................. 76 Management of Purple Loosestrife ............................................................................. 81 Other Invasive Aquatic Plant Species in Minnesota................................................... 91 Terrestrial Invasive Plant Management ....................................................................... 92 INVASIVE ANIMALS Management of Asian Carp........................................................................................... 99 Management of Common Carp..................................................................................... 107 Management of Mute Swans ........................................................................................ 111 Management of Zebra Mussels..................................................................................... 113 i Invasive Species in Minnesota Annual Report for 2006 Table of Contents (Continued) Page Other Invasive Animal Species in Minnesota ............................................................. 118 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 118 Examples of Releases of Non-native Species in 2006 ....................................... 118 Black-tailed Prairie Dog....................................................................................... 118 Eurasian Collared-dove....................................................................................... 118 Chinese Mystery Snail ........................................................................................ 119 Japanese Mystery Snail ...................................................................................... 121 Banded Mystery Snail ......................................................................................... 121 New Zealand Mudsnail ...................................................................................... 124 Rusty Crayfish .................................................................................................... 124 Spiny Waterflea .................................................................................................. 125 Appendix A – Invasive Species Program Staff .......................................................... 127 Appendix B - Other State Contacts for Invasive Species Prevention and Control Programs and Interagency Groups ............................................................................. 128 ii Invasive Species in Minnesota Annual Report for 2006 List of Tables Page Table 1. Invasive Species Program efforts that address specific invasive species ....................................................................................................... 10 Table 2. State and local funding (in thousands of dollars) received by the Invasive Species Program, fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 .................................................................................................... 13 Table 3. Recent proposals submitted by the Invasive Species Program that received federal funding .............................................................................. 14 Table 4. Invasive species related expenditures in fiscal year 2006 (FY06) (in thousands of dollars) ................................................................................... 20 Table 5. Number of watercraft inspections conducted by watercraft inspectors in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 ................................................... 38 Table 6. Projects granted funding for lake-wide curly-leaf pondweed control in 2006 ........................................................................................................... 56 Table 7. Projects granted funding for collection of aquatic plant survey data in 2006 ........................................................................................................... 57 Table 8. Water quality parameters measured on pilot lake-wide treatment lakes in 2006 ........................................................................................................... 58 Table 9. May through September secchi depth in Lake Benton ............................... 60 Table 10. Classification of water bodies in Minnesota with Eurasian watermilfoil during 2006 ................................................................................................. 65 Table 11. Number of Minnesota lakes where management of Eurasian watermilfoil was supported with State funds in 2002-2005 ............................................ 68 Table 12. Number of lakes, budgets, and expenditures in different classes of management of Eurasian watermilfoil in Minnesota during 2006 ............... 70 Table 13. Purple loosestrife infestations in Minnesota recorded by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in 2005 and 2006 ................................. 82 Table 14. Historical herbicide applications performed by DNR and applicators contracted by DNR in Minnesota (1989-2006) ........................................... 84 Table 15. Summary of number of insects released in each region to control purple loosestrife (1992-2006) ............................................................................... 87 Table 16. Other Invasive Aquatic Plant Species in Minnesota ................................... 91 Table 17. Funded terrestrial invasive plant inventory/management projects FY06-07 93 Table 18. Unconfined mute swans reported in Minnesota counties during 2006 ....... 112 iii Invasive Species in Minnesota Annual Report for 2006 List of Tables (continued) Page Table 19. Other invasive and non-native species that have been found in the wild in Minnesota ................................................................................................... 126 iv Invasive Species in Minnesota Annual Report for 2006 List of Figures Page Figure 1. Zebra mussel attached to boatlift removed from Lake Ossawinnamakee ....................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. Zebra mussel locations in Minnesota as of November 2006 ...................... 4 Figure 3. Invasive Species Program spending in FY06 by major categories ............ 7 Figure 4. Invasive Species Program spending