- Author: Dr. Patrick Moran
- Posted by: Guy B Kyser
Biological control of water hyacinth in the Delta is being developed as part of an integrated, adaptive management plan for sustainable, long-term control of water hyacinth. Water hyacinth is one of the most troublesome floating aquatic weeds in the Delta, and one of the key targeted species in the USDA-ARS-funded Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Project (DRAAWP). Biological control can greatly assist the weed control program managed by the Division of Boating and Waterways-California Department of Parks and Recreation (DBW). Before biocontrol can be fully implemented, the control plan must be reviewed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service. USFWS is responsible for protecting...
- Author: Sharon Lawler
- Author: Maribel Portilla
- Posted by: Guy B Kyser
Mosquito research by Maribel Portilla and Sharon Lawler recently included an experiment on how Egeria, or Brazilian water weed, affects mosquito populations. Egeria is a submersed aquatic weed that can cause problems in channels and irrigation waterways. Mosquitoes also breed in stagnant waters, but, we asked, is this because of the weeds?
We used large cattle-watering tanks to simulate stagnant, back-water areas with and without infestations of Egeria (Figure 1). Five tanks had no weeds, five had healthy Egeria, and five had Egeria that was sprayed with the herbicide fluridone. We added zooplankton and insects colonized naturally.
Interestingly, there were fewer...
- Author: Micheal Finnell
- Editor: Guy B Kyser
Micheal Finnell is an Environmental / GIS Assistant with California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways.
OBJECTIVES
To provide quantitative metrics of herbicide treatment efficacy for the Division of Boating and Waterways' Submersed Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) Program
- Apply consumer-grade echosounders to map SAV in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
- Process sonar files using Biobase, an online GIS algorithm
- Generate SAV geo-spatial products and change detection using the SAV Efficacy Tool
- Conduct qualitative Biobase accuracy assessment
BACKGROUND
Submersed aquatic vegetation...
- Author: Patrick Moran
- Editor: Guy B Kyser
The giant invasive grass arundo (Arundo donax), one of the weeds targeted under the USDA-ARS-funded Delta Region Areawide Aquatic Weed Project (DRAAWP), has been re-acquainted with one of its natural enemies imported from arundo's native range. A tiny insect called the arundo armored scale (Rhizaspidiotus donacis) has been successfully released in the Sacramento River watershed and in the Delta.
Arundo forms dense stands across at least 10,000 acres in California, and over 100,000 acres in other arid riparian areas such as the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico. Other control methods such as herbicide application, mechanical removal, mowing or burning have been used to reduce arundo populations in...
- Posted by: Gale Perez
Here's something from the Aquatic Plant Management Society blog :: posted Feb. 2017
(Original source: East County Today)
DBW Begins Herbicide Treatment in the Delta for Water Hyacinth and Egeria.../span>