2002
NEWS ARCHIVE
Noxious
Weed Threatens Cameron Parish
Cameron
Parish landowners discussed strategies to prevent further spread
of a noxious plant building up against floodgates near the town
of Cameron. Giant Salvinia, an invasive plant that lives on the
surface of fresh water lakes and ponds, threatened Toledo Bend
over a year ago. It now threatens the parish drainage and the
irrigation systems for rice fields, according to Kevin Savoie,
Sea Grant Watershed Education. The plant can also damage exteriors
and clog intakes of outboard motors. Because Giant Salvinia can
be spread accidentally on recreational boats and boat trailers,
officials are asking duck hunters and recreational boaters to
clean all plant debris from boats, trailers, and outboards before
moving from one pond or bayou to another. Posters developed by
Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU AgCenter have been placed at boat
ramps to remind sportsmen of the problem.
The rapid spread of
this noxious plant in Cameron was probably caused by a combination
of angling, duck hunting, and the summer movement of alligators,
according to Charlie Dugas of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife
and Fisheries. He gave information to landowners about the plant
and the best available control methods. Although a combination
of herbicidal spray and cold winter weather had all but destroyed
the earlier Toledo Bend infestation, Giant Salvinia has begun
to take over in nearby Cameron Parish. “We knew that Giant
Salvinia could eventually spread naturally to other parishes from
the Toledo Bend area, but we had controlled it and Cameron is
a separate watershed,” said Dugas.
Giant salvinia reproduces
quickly, forming tight mats that block sunlight and eventually
reduce dissolved oxygen needed by fish and aquatic plants. According
to Dugas, the result can be ecological and economic destruction.
Hunters and anglers cease to come to the area because the fish
and ducks are no longer there.
LDWF field crews are
being dispatched to the area, and landowners agreed to work together
over the long term to control the plant on private property. “If
all of the hunters and boaters will also help us by cleaning their
boats and trailers after each use, we can control the plant in
the parish,” Savoie concluded.
For more information
about Giant Salvinia, contact Louisiana Sea Grant College Program,
225-578-6349.
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