The following photos were sent to me from Division of Nature Preserves in Ohio and are shots of blue-green algae infestation on Grand Lake St. Marys in Ohio.

I don’t know who took the pictures, unfortunately. According to Ken Brunswick from Nature Preserves, this area flows into the Wabash River and helps explain why the river flows through the Limberlost Territory green in color.

Thank you to John Bacone and Ken Brunswick for the very graphic depictions of the green slime. Ken notes that when he was younger the shores of this lake were lined with folks fishing, but now a days, when he goes by it, he seldom sees anyone fishing there.

The guy on the jet ski is braver than I would be. If you remember reading the classic Dr. Seuss book “Bartholomew and the Oobleck” you might see where Dr. Seuss got an inspiration. Unfortunately, this “oobleck in the lakes can’t be treated by just saying “I’m sorry.”

It is apparent that blue-green algae is becoming more and more an issue, and the causes of it are of concern as well as the effects.

Addressing the inputs into lakes and rivers that cause these blooms is part of the mission of LARE of course, as well as for so many other agencies and

organizations (IWF, NRCS, ISDA, SWCD’s, IDEM, etc.). These pictures do put the problem firmly in focus. Since the September meeting of the LMWG may well deal with these
issues, I hope you find these shots of interest.

News Article on this memo:

The Columbus Dispatch
“State hatcheries not covered by algae warning”

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to Enlarge