What Are BMLA Expenses?
Funding our efforts is no small task. While we have been fortunate to obtain state funds and grants to pay for the lion’s share of the money needed for ongoing herbicide treatments, membership donations and participation are critical to our efforts—the higher our membership numbers are, the more likely we will win governmental funding and grants.
BMLA expenses have been held to a minimum because the Board has out-sourced very little of the work to be done. Spot treating is a good example. Also, website work, mailings of newsletters and other publications, legal work, and accounting have been hands-on tasks performed by Board members or other volunteers.
BMLA spend its funds on:
Herbicide treatment by our licensed applicator
Herbicide spot treatment by the BMLA
Consultants
Donations to organizations which work on AIS control and prevention efforts statewide
Communications – newsletter mailings, etc.
Insurance
Permits
BMLA Expenditures by Year:
Year / Dollars:
2010 / $9,888
2011 / $8,390
2012 / $9,639
2013 / $10,712
2014 / $13,595
2015 / $33,740
2016 / $35,040
2017 / $37,776
2018 / $21,350
2019 / $33,272
2020 / $16,687
2021 / $25,273
2022/$24628
2023/$40952
2024/$40111 est.
Why do expenses vary from year to year?
Starting in 2016, a switch was made to a more expensive herbicide, granular renovate OTF. OFT is more effective on EWM potentially hybridized with native Northern Milfoil.
Herbicide changes are necessary about every four years because EWM develops herbicide immunity. Costs of various herbicides vary.
The acreage treated has varied each year.
The BMLA invested in the development and testing of injecting the EWM root balls in 2017.
The BMLA purchased mapping software in 2017, which significantly reduced the need for the assistance of consultants in delineating and mapping the EWM in Big Marine.