Opinion articles provide independent perspectives on key community issues, separate from our newsroom reporting.

Letters to the Editor

Fight algae

I recently talked to my brother in Florida who told me of the horrific algae bloom the state is experiencing in there, Georgia and South Carolina. I have a goose pond on my farm that also becomes algae affected in the summer.

When I went online to see what I could do, a site recommended barley straw. I bought some and put it in my pond. It works great. No algae — the straw seems to absorb it.

States would need to be purchase barley straw in huge quantities, obviously, but if they could save wildlife, I think it would be worth the investment.

Jacquelyn Carl,

Gaston, Oregon

This story was originally published July 18, 2016 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Fight algae."

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