AREA LEGISLATORS MEET WITH LOCAL AND STATE OFFICIALS TO SOLVE INVASIVE WATER WEED PROBLEM

  District 36 State Senator Robert Adley (R-Benton), Representatives Jim Fannin, Henry Burns and Jean Doerge are encouraged that state and local officials have come together to develop a plan to combat the invasion of Lake Bistineau by giant Salvinia. Salvinia is an invasive water weed that is severely restricting recreational activity and threatening to choke life out of waterways across Louisiana. At the request of Senator Adley, the area legislators met at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge this week with representatives of the Bossier, Bienville and Webster parish police juries and officials from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to discuss options in controlling the exotic plant.

  "Right now Lake Bistineau is a sea of green," said Senator Adley. "Everyone at this meeting agreed that we have to be innovative and relentless in our efforts to control the invasion of giant Salvinia. The police jurors representing the area came to us to get help from the state. Secretary Barham and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries understand the severity of the problem and are committed to controlling it. They have pledged all available resources to Lake Bistineau to come up with a way to save our state waterways from this noxious water weed."

  Giant Salvinia is an exotic water weed imported from Brazil, probably as a decorative water garden plant, that was released into a state waterway and spread. It first appeared in Louisiana in 1996 and has recently been exploding across the state. It is a non-native species and there are no natural controls to halt its spread. It is highly invasive and can double in size every five to seven days. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says that in early 2007, there were 150 acres affected by the plant, but by the end of the year that area had spread to over 4,500 acres.

  The control efforts at Lake Bistineau will include a four pronged approach of spraying the noxious plant with herbicide, lowering the water level to dry the plants and force them to concentrate in the center of the lake to make spraying more effective, and possibly using a conveyer belt harvester to physically remove the plant from the water in areas that are accessible. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is also working with researchers at LSU and a company in Houma to grow weevils that live on giant Salvinia and eat the plant. Salvinia infested with the weevils has been transplanted into controlled areas and are having an impact.

PHOTO (left to right): Bobby Garrett; Gary Tilyou, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; Bienville Parish Police Juror Tony Lawson; Webster Parish Police Juror Jim Bonsall; District 10 State Representative Jean Doerge; District 36 State Senator Robert Adley; District 13 State Representative Jim Fannin; District 9 State Representative Henry Burns; Bienville Parish Police Juror Greg Wilson; Webster Parish Police Juror Steve Ramsey; and Billy Montgomery, who was representing the Bossier Parish Police Jury.

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