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54 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, February 15, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classifieds Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 13, 2005 Since You Asked Algae: Naughty and nice I’ve read your stories on problems with toxic blue-green algae in several lakes that forces the closure of recreation areas. But I’ve also discovered that blue-green algae is being harvested locally for sale to people who seem to think it has magical nutritive healing powers. Is this a case of one person’s trash is another man’s treasure? What gives? — Wendi R., Klamath Falls It’s more like a case where one man’s blue-green algae is different than another man’s stuff, Wendi. There are two different kinds of bacteria commonly referred to as blue-green algae. One, called Aphanizomena flos-aquae, is processed into a food supplement marketed around the country.That’s the good kind of blue-green algae harvested in Klamath Lake. The toxic one is called Microcystis aeruginosa.That’s the blue-green algae that forced the closure Lake Selmac to human and pet contact for more than two months last year. Similar, but smaller, outbreaks caused closures to Diamond Lake in 2002 and ’03. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers Advertisement s