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Nov 26, 2023

Algae aggravation: Patience needed when dealing with nature

I thought of dirty aquariums when I looked down and peered into Glenwood Lake. A thick algae bloom and an invasive water weed from South America has covered part of Glenwood Lake in a slimy mat of

I thought of dirty aquariums when I looked down and peered into Glenwood Lake.

A thick algae bloom and an invasive water weed from South America has covered part of Glenwood Lake in a slimy mat of green that reminds me of the Okefenokee Swamp down in Georgia.

I half-expected to see an alligator or two peeking out of the greenery or gliding across the water. The lake has turtles and frogs already and plenty of other wildlife hangs around the park itself.

I’ve encountered plenty of deer and wild turkeys, and I’ve seen an osprey and a bald eagle soaring over the lake.

I stopped at Glenwood Recreation Park early Tuesday morning because I had learned that the Green Valley-Glenwood Public Service was getting ready to spray a new algaecide that could deal with the Brazilian weed and other plants filling parts of the lake. Well, General Manager Scott Clark of the PSD and other PSD employees were already hard at work.

A long time ago, I learned that nature is amazingly stubborn. Coyotes keep roaming the mountains and forests despite bounties put on their heads.

Deer destroy gardens and run across highways at the worst possible moment despite all the lights and noise that cars and trucks put out.

Vast flocks of crows will roost near businesses and neighborhoods and shower them with droppings.

Sometimes measures to control flora and fauna that ignore human needs will work, but they usually don’t.

My sister and I spent part of a recent weekend clearing away vines and brush that were starting to encroach on mom’s backyard.

Tree limbs were overhanging the fence and vines were curling around the fence itself.

I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve hacked and cut under the hot sun to keep mom’s property from being overrun by the nearby woods.

It’s only a holding action.

You can’t ultimately win because nature is determined to take back those spaces we’ve hacked out for ourselves.

For instance, I’m a fan of a documentary show called “Life After People.”

Each episode explores what happens to major cities and national landmarks when humans suddenly disappear from the world.

The process starts on day one and continues until a thousands years have gone by.

After a thousand years, places like New York City and Las Vegas disappear.

I’ve seen the process firsthand when I visit abandoned homes and other structures. Trees start growing out of open windows and the weather makes stone crumble and steel rust away.

Once again, nature is determined to fill the spaces we’ve created for ourselves.

Clark said the PSD might use a new aquatic herbicide to treat the lake in the future, which means that the weed and algae’s return is likely.

I’m sure the lake will be cleared up eventually and residents can resume fishing and boating, but sometime the weed will return and reassert itself. And it will have to be cleared away again.

When we’re dealing with invasive plants, stubborn wildlife and natural forces, there’s nothing we can do but be patient. The water weed and algae filling sections of Glenwood Lake won’t be eradicated overnight; in fact, it likely won’t be eradicated.

The best we can do is get it under control for a while and get ready for the next time it appears in force.

I know it’s hard to be patient when nature refuses to cooperate.

We plant gardens and bugs attack them. Deer step into roads and send our cars to the body shop.

And algae blooms in our lakes and cuts off our fishing and boating venues. We want our way and nature wants its way, and I doubt we’ll ever reach an agreement.

We just need to be patient while the PSD works to resolve the algae problem for now, and I suspect that we will all need to be patient again next year and the year after that.

Greg Jordan is senior reporter for the Daily Telegraph. Contact him at [email protected].

Contact Greg Jordan at [email protected]

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