Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 12/01/2014

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makers have to choose between having ground water supplies that are adequate but require treatment before consumption, or inadequate water supplies that do not need to be treated; historic strategies err in favor of the latter. Invasive species threaten native ecosystems and the services they provide in all Minnesota biomes, which has broad implications for natural resource managers. Invasive species can compromise fisheries and aquatic recreation, diminish forest products, and denude habitat for wild game. The only viable long-term e ' is to slow the spread and reduce the damage until biological controls can be developed to keep invasive species populations in check. Purple Loosestrife is a good example of an invasive species brought under control with the introduction of biological competitors. Well -established invaders such as Eurasian Water Milfoil, Reed Canary Grass, Curly Leaf Pui IuweJ, Gypsy Moths, Spiny Water Fleas, Common Buckthorn, Leafy Spurge, Common Carp, Zebra Mussels, Garlic Mustard, and Spotted Knapweed continue to consume a lot of technical and financial resources to curtail. Emerging threats include: • Wild Parsnip; a roadside weed that causes severe blistering rashes upon contact. • Asian silver carp; known for jumping at the sound of boat engines. • Emerald Ash Borer; threatens to completely decimate Minnesota's extensive populations of ash trees. Declining pollinator populations in Minnesota and nationwide threaten to undermine food production and native ecosystem functions. In 1991 a new type of insecticide was developed that works in very low concentrations and functions as a systemic pesticide, being taken up by plants and migrating throughout every part of the plant. From roots and stems to leaves and pollen, neonicotinoid based insecticides provide full plant protection and one treatment can last for many months or even years. This combination of persistence and systemic function make all plant components poisonous to insects for as long as the plant lives. Even the pollen becomes poisonous to bees, moths and butterflies that consume and transport it. These chemicals are known to disorient honeybees, native bees and butterflies and make them less resistant to disease, and may be a significant contributor to honeybee hive collapse. Soil health is being compromised by excessive cultivation, removal of topsoil, application of pesticides (fungicides, insecticides and herbicides), lack of vegetative cover, and compaction. Healthy soil provides a stable matrix that resists erosion, infiltrates water, cycles nutrients, adsorbs pollutants, provides drought tolerance, drives plant productivity, and sustains a complex food web. Healthy soils support a diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, invertebrates (worms and arthropods) and other microscopic organisms in a matrix of mineral and organic matter that provides structural stability. All soil ecosystem elements are interdependent and comprise a living system that needs to be nourished with water, organic matter, nutrients, warmth and atmospheric gases. Maintaining healthy soils is critical to maintaining healthy terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and is the foundation of a robust food web. Best Management Practice inspection and maintenance is a long-term cost that many agencies are not equipped to address in terms of staffing or finances. As BMPs installed two decades ago reach the end of their design life, it is critical to maintain them Anoka Conservation District Comprehensive Plan October 2014 page 7