Blue-Green Algae

Blue-green algae have been in the news recently. Blooms of the algae have led the North Dakota Department of Health to issue public health warnings for several lakes across the state. There are several types of algae that are common in our marshes, lakes, rivers, and streams. They are important to the food chains in these bodies of water, and serve as little aerators, by releasing oxygen into the water as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Most of the time we don’t even notice them, but if