The Milwaukee Post

A few years ago, the invasive species starry stonewort was found in Big Muskego Lake. Earlier this year, it was discov- ered on Silver Lake in Washington County and last week it was discovered on Pike Lake. In fact, 23 lakes in the state now have the species. The problem is that starry stonewort can spread across a lake rapidly in any water under 9 feet deep. It can grow all the way to the surface in extreme cases and can choke out preferred aquatic vegetation and if not stopped, it can ruin a lake. The problem is the stuff is darn hard to stop. It's all over Big Muskego, partially because the lake is shallow, with little cur- rent, and is the perfect breeding ground for the weedy interlopers. The problem has awakened the state Department of Natural Resources and they have ordered that 35 other lakes be studied to see how far starry stonewort has spread. Bob Wakeman, the aquatic inva- sive species coordinator for the DNR, said the work will be done by lake experts, local officials and trained community volunteers. This thorough and systematic approach is necessary, if we are to limit the spread of starry stonewort and we greatly appreci- ate the commitment of communi- ty leaders and lake organizations to tackle this shared challenge, Wakeman said. In the weeks and months ahead, continued cooperation from recreational boaters also will be critical to make sure fragments of starry stonewort are not trans- ported to additional lakes on trailers or in live wells. Once a lake is determined to have the problem it is very diffi- cult to remove it. So far, poisons aren't effective as they only kill off the top por- tion of the species, so they grow back the following year. They lit- erally must be removed down to the very root of the plant. It's a slow process often involv- ing divers having to suck the plants out, which is no easy task. Education about how invasive organisms are spread is often the key to at least slowing down the infestation. The DNR offers several tips: ■ Inspect your boat, trailer, and equipment. ■ Remove any attached aquatic plants or animals (before launch- ing, after loading, and before transporting on a public high- way). ■ Drain all water from boats, motors and all equipment. ■ Never move live fish away from a water body. ■ Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash. ■ Buy minnows from a Wisconsin bait dealer. Use left- over minnows only under certain conditions. My own kids know that when we go fishing or tubing, their job when the fun is over is to crawl underneath the trailer and make sure the weeds are all gone. I throw a couple pairs of knee pads in the truck when we leave so they can't complain that their knees are hurting on the concrete ramp. When I get home I give the boat's hull a quick bath with the hose at my house or sometimes I even use a pressure washer. It seems that the public is going to have to step up and I'm not just talking about the folks involved in local fishing and conservation groups. Jet skiers, water skiers and pleasure boaters had best do their part, too. The DNR also has a website for people to report an invasive plant: www.dnr.wi.gov/topic/Invasives/ report. html. It asks that a report be filled out there and that people take a digi- tal photo of the plant and then collect five to 10 intact specimens in a Ziploc bag with no water. It's pretty clear that despite their efforts the DNR is going to have its hands full on this one. It's not like the DNR is getting a ton of new funding for cleaning up the problem and even if it did, I find it hard to believe it could stop it anyway. (Dan Durbin writes an outdoors column for the Post. Call Durbin at 644-7940, or email him at ddurbin@bastdurbin.com if you have a story idea.) Starry stonewort is all over Big Muskego Lake DAN DURBIN Boaters, jet skiers need to check for latest invasive species infesting area Because I was the only one I know to say that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was not going to miss a game this season, I might as well be the only one to wonder what's wrong with the Green Bay Packers. How many years have they entered a sea- son with the best quarterback in the NFL and failed to win a championship? Five NFL MVP awards won by the team's quarterback since Brett Favre won his first in 1995 and only two Super Bowl wins. Peter King of Sports Illustrated and www.themmqb.com wrote that Favre and Rodgers have been the best back-to-back quarterbacks for a team since 1967. King says they have had a better run than even Joe Montana and Steve Young with the San Francisco 49ers. The only problem is that Montana and Young won five Super Bowls while the Packers' duo has only two. If King is correct, then it's pathetic that the Packers have won only two titles in the last 30 years. Even if King is overstating the greatness of Favre and Rodgers, it's at least disappointing that the Packers haven't been able to do better with two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. And if the Packers don't win a title this season, the discussion and disappointment will only grow louder and larger. Nothing has changed entering the 2015 season. The Packers have the best quarter- back in the league whether or not Rodgers wins another MVP. If they fall short again, they will move closer to being a more Peyton Manning-like team even without Manning. He's won five MVP awards and yet his teams have won only one Lombardi Trophy in three tries. The Packers are only slightly better with two titles in three tries, but they've had a few extra years of quar- terback greatness since Manning didn't even enter the league until 1998. If you are wondering why so little has been been done with so much, it's not very difficult to figure out. In the seven seasons since Rodgers has been the starting quar- terback, the Packers have given up the fol- lowing number of points in those regular seasons: 240, 297, 336, 348, 359, 380, and 428. Would you like to guess in which season the Packers won the Super Bowl? Winner, winner, chicken dinner, if you selected 240. In addition, the Packers have scored more points in every Rodgers starting sea- son since 2010, even two years ago when he missed so many games because of injury. The injuries are mentioned to avoid emails about the nearly two games that Rodgers missed in 2010 as the reason for the fewest points being scored. And the ringless seasons with great quarterbacking but not the greatest defense didn't start with Rodgers. The following list is the number of points given up by the Packers in Brett Favre's seasons, starting with his first MVP award in 1995: 314, 210, 282, 319, 341, 323, 266, 328, 307, 380, 344 and 291. Pretty easy to guess the Super Bowl win- ner: 210. The season of 282 preceded the "fart-in- the-wind" Super Bowl loss to Denver. And 266 was a loss to the Super Bowl-winning St. Louis Rams. And 291 was the Favre-was-too-cold loss in the NFC Championship game to the Giants. So, like every year with Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Green Bay, this season will be about defense, defense and defense or it will be another Peyton Manning season in Titleless Town. September 11, 2015 • Milwaukee County Post • 11 "HOMER" on SPORTS STEVE "The HOMER" TRUE (Steve "The Homer" True, host of "Homer and Thunder Show," heard from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays on 540 ESPN, can be reached at homer@espnmilwau- kee.com) Look no farther than the defense The two greatest QBs and two Super Bowls? SPORTS

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