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Invasive Eurasian milfoil

Eurasian milfoil is widely present in East Caroga Lake and, to a lesser extent, West Caroga Lake. The Town of Caroga has been harvesting Eurasian milfoil for over two decades. At present, it would appear that the Eurasian milfoil problem is getting worse. Property owners on the outlet of East Caroga Lake have also reported that the overall weed and sedimentation problem is getting worse.

Madsen (pdf) provides a very useful survey of all aquatic plant management techniques. Take-home messages include:
- Carp prefer virtually all other plant species over Eurasian milfoil. Thus, the lake will be barren of all other rooted aquatics before the milfoil is brought under control.
- Machine mechanical harvesting is “cosmetic, nonselective, short-term”.
Madsen cites limnologist (aquatic ecologist) G. Dennis Cooke, PhD, who was the thesis adviser for the late limnologist E. B. Long, PhD who also worked in Cooke's limnology lab and in the field on the study of East Twin Lake.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's A Primer on Aquatic Plant Management in New York State (pdf) is an overview with an emphasis on New York. It is and a good place to start.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's “Diet for a Small Lake” Chapter 6: Aquatic Plants: Not Just Weeds is a good introduction for the general public and includes discussion of regulatory issues in New York State.