Hi RMarianion,
You don't say what state you live in.
You're right! It's very wrong!!!
The President taking $14,000 from the Association without anything in writing for the lake up keep is embezzlement. The homeowner's should unite to inform the President, that if the $14,000 or any of the Association's money is used for spraying the hydrilla so he/she could have a better fun time on the lake, the homeowner's will procecute. It's a heck of a way to get rid of the President.
Wherever you live, immediately contact your state Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife, about your Presidents intentions to hydrilla in the name of the lake and location, and get their answer to back to you in writing. Have them fax it to if possible.
Let other homeowner's know what you find out, have them get involved, and unite against your BOD's and stand firm on this issue. The homeowners are not responsable for paying for the spraying of hydrilla, and every homeowner needs to say they do not want any part of paying for the hydrilla. The President is embezzlement money from the Association to pay for something that is not the Association's responsibility.
If the President is so upset about the hydrilla he is pay for it from his personal pocket not yours. It's considered embezzlement, if he does not have every homeowner's blessings to spray the hydrilla in his precious lake.
A Special Meeting should be called to speak, to vote "NO" against this.
First of all, lets get educated as to what a hydrilla is that has this President upset about the lake:
Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) is considered the most problematic aquatic plant in the United States. This plant is native to Africa, Australia, and parts of Asia but was introduced to Florida in 1960 via the aquarium trade. In the 1990s hydrilla is now well-established in the southern states where control and management costs millions of dollars each year. Florida spent $56 million dollars for hydrilla control during a ten-year period and, during this time, the acreage of hydrilla doubled. On the West Coast, hydrilla has been introduced into California and Washington. California has an eradication policy for hydrilla infestations because hydrilla can severely impact water delivery systems. The Washington hydrilla infestation, discovered in 1995, is the only known occurrence of hydrilla in the ****Pacific Northwest and eradication efforts are ongoing.****
Growth Habit:
Hydrilla forms dense mats of vegetation that interfere with recreation and destroy fish and wildlife habitat. Unlike other problem aquatic plants, like Brazilian elodea, that reproduce only by fragmentation, hydrilla spreads by seeds, tubers, plant fragments, and turions (overwintering buds). One square meter of hydrilla can produce 5,000 tubers. Once hydrilla becomes established, it is readily spread by waterfowl and boating activities.
Hydrilla has several advantages over other plants. It will grow with less light and is more efficient at taking up nutrients than other plants. It also has extremely effective methods of propagation. Besides making seeds (seedlings are actually rarely seen in nature), it can sprout new plants from root fragments or stem fragments containing as few as two whorls of leaves. Recreational users can easily spread these small fragments from waterbody to waterbody.
Unlike other problem aquatic plants, like Brazilian elodea, that reproduce only by fragmentation, hydrilla spreads by seeds, tubers, plant fragments, and turions (overwintering buds). One square meter of hydrilla can produce 5,000 tubers. Once hydrilla becomes established, IT IS READILY SPREAD BY WATERFLOWL AND BOATING ACTIVITIES.
However, hydrilla's real secret to success is its ability to produce structures called turions and tubers. (Presence of these structures is also a characteristic which distinguishes this plant from similar looking plants.)
Turions are compact "buds" produced along the leafy stems. They break free of the parent plant and drift or settle to the bottom to start new plants. They are 1/4 inch long, dark green, and appear spiny. Tubers are underground and form at the end of roots. They are small, potato-like, and are usually white or yellowish. Hydrilla produces an abundance of tubers and turions in the fall. Tubers may remain dormant for several years in the sediment. The hydrilla variety found in Washington will also make tubers in the spring and will produce nondormant turions throughout the growing season. Tubers and turions can withstand ice cover, drying, herbicides, and ingestion and regurgitation by waterfowl
Hydrilla IS NOT being sold today, but it was recently introduced to California as a contaminant of water lily rhizomes. The hydrilla discovered in Washington was growing in two interconnected privately-owned lakes near Seattle. Because introduced water lilies are common in these two lakes, we suspect that that water lilies may have been the method of hydrilla introduction to these lakes. A diver survey of nearby lakes showed that hydrilla remained confined to the two-lake system, and since the hydrilla discovery in 1995, no other hydrilla populations have been discovered in Washington.
IDENTIFICATION:
Hydrilla closely resembles two other plants found in Washington: The nonnative plant Brazilian elodea (Egeria densa) and native American waterweed (Elodea canadensis).
Hydrilla can be distinguished from these two plants by the presence of tubers (0.2 to 0.4 inch long, off-white to yellowish, potato-like structures buried in the sediment).
Other characteristics to look for include:
Leaves in whorls around the stem (generally five leaves per whorl).
Serrations or small spines along the leaf edges.
The midrib of the leaf is often reddish when fresh.
We are especially concerned about new introductions of hydrilla in the Pacific Northwest. If you think that you have seen hydrilla growing in Washington, please contact Kathy Hamel (
[email protected]) or Jenifer Parsons (
[email protected]) immediately.
The hydrilla line drawing is the copyright property of the University of Florida Center for Aquatic Plants (Gainesville). Used with permission.
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ALSO,
Hydrilla has been listed by the U.S. government as a Federal Noxious Weed. With this designation, it is illegal to import or sell the plant in the United States. However, it is likely that internet sales still occur.
Like all invasive species, the key to preventing their spread is knowledge! You can also help by practicing a few good techniques to stop the spread of hydrilla and other aquatic invasive plants.
Rinse any mud and/or debris from equipment and wading gear and drain any water from boats before leaving a launch area.
Remove all plant fragments from the boat, propeller, and boat trailer. The transportation of plant material on boats, trailers, and in livewells is the main introduction route to new lakes and rivers.
Do not release aquarium or water garden plants into the wild, rather seal them in a plastic bag and dispose in the trash.
Consider using plants native to Indiana in aquariums and water gardens.
***If you detect this plant in a lake, pond, or stream, IMMEDIATELY CONTACT the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife. ***
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Since the President is considering the Association to pay $14,000 for Hydrilla in the lake, just because he/she is the President, doesn't give him/her the power to do whatever they want. Say the word embezzlement like a broken to your President, and inform him/her the homeowner's will procecute him/her.
Good luck with this matter, and let me know what happens.
Happy Holidays,
Audrey