[APWG] diving for invasives

[Olivia Kwong]

The attachment mentioned in one of the responses was a little large to be 
sending out over the list, but you can download it (about 2 megs) at 
http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/elpubs/pdf/mpel00-1.pdf

Olivia
CPC/PCA
http://www.nps.gov/plants/

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Alan.V.Tasker at aphis.usda.gov
To: APWG at lists.plantconservation.org
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 15:21:45 -0500
Subject: Re: Fw: [APWG] diving for invasives
Responses from several of my "aquatic" colleagues.

----- Forwarded by Alan V Tasker/MD/APHIS/USDA on 01/17/2006 10:44 AM 
-----

LWJAnderson
<lwanderson at ucdav        To:       Alan.V.Tasker at aphis.usda.gov
                       is.edu>                  cc:       "Dr. John Madsen" 
jmadsen at gri.msstate.edu>, "Dr. Lars W Anderson"  <lwanderson at ucdavis.edu>, 
"Bo (Alan) Burns" <burnsaj at basf.com>, "Dr. Mike Smart" 
<Mike.Smart at erdc.usace.army.mil>
01/16/2006 01:41PM
Subject:  Re: Fw: [APWG] diving  for invasives

Hi Alan-
   Sure, diver handpulling has been used to remover hydrilla, Eurasian
watermilfoil, egeria and other rooted plants.   Limitations include
size (less than 0.1 acre is doable- even larger depending upon
logistics of capturing and hauling the plants).  Most efficient is to
use a small dredge (ca. 4 to 6 in. dia) that diver uses to suck up
pulled plants, or used to directly suck up plants.  Secondly, poorly
consolidated sediments will release fine particles, etc and reduce
visibility quickly.   So, coarser sediments are easier to work on.
Usually these methods require permits and even some water qual.
monitoring (e.g. turbidity).
Hope that helps-
Lars

--
Lars W.J. Anderson, Ph.D.
USDA- ARS Exotic and Invasive Weed Research
Weed Science Program
UCDavis
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA  95616

Ph. 530.752.6260
Fax 530.752.4604
Email:  lwanderson at ucdavis.edu



----- Forwarded by Alan V Tasker/MD/APHIS/USDA on 01/17/2006 10:44 AM 
-----

"John Madsen" <jmadsen at gri.msstate.edu>
To:       <Alan.V.Tasker at aphis.usda.gov>, <NCD at snet.net>
cc:       <burnsaj at basf.com>, <Mike.Smart at erdc.usace.army.mil>, 
<lwanderson at ucdavis.edu>
01/14/2006 04:26PM
Subject:  Re: Fw: [APWG] diving  for invasives

Betsy:

Well, yes - I have done it, and it required multiple visits to the same
site to ensure that you get all the plants.  It is best done when there
are only scattered individual plants; it will not work on even
relatively small beds of plants.  The species of plant also matters.  If
you have volunteers, they need to be trained to make sure that they only
pick plants that are the target plant.  Paying divers is very expensive,
though there are companies (I know of one in Idaho) that do contract
diving of this sort.

I would integrate hand pulling with benthic barriers and diver-operated
suction harvesting.  Use benthic barriers for small dense beds, suction
harvesting for the intermediate denstiy of plants, and patrol the
perimeter to hand harvest individual plants.

The Darrin Freshwater Institute (of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
Troy, NY) has been very active in the area of assessing hand harvesting,
benthic barrier, and diver-operated suction harvesting.  I would also
recommend contacting them (either Larry Eichler or CHarles Boylen).
They are both members of the Northeastern Aquatic Plant Management
Society; if you are a member, you can get their contact information from
there.  If not, contact me directly.

I have attached a report on the strengths and weaknesses of aquatic
plant management techniques.  If you send me your address, I can send
you a paper copy of a hand harvesting report I did a number of years
ago, on Eurasian watermilfoil in Lake George.

Feel free to contact me.

John Madsen

John D. Madsen, Ph.D.
GeoResources Institute
Box 9652
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9652
ph. 662-325-2428  fax 662-325-7692
e-mail  jmadsen at gri.msstate.edu
www.gri.msstate.edu
Shipping Address:
2 Research Boulevard
Starkville, MS 39759

At 12:27 PM -0500 1/14/06, Alan.V.Tasker at aphis.usda.gov wrote:
>
> any comments for Betsy?
>--------------------------
>Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: APWG-bounces
>Sent: 01/13/2006 05:04 PM
>To: APWG at lists.plantconservation.org
>Cc: fdnethnicdance at earthlink.net; B1Feld at aol.com
>Subject: [APWG] diving  for invasives
>
>Hi,
>Does anyone out there have experience with or know
>anything about managing small populations of invasive
>aquatics by diving for them and pulling them out? How
>effective is it? Is it very costly?
>
>Thanks!
>Betsy Corrigan
>
>
>
>
>Elizabeth Corrigan
>Consulting Biologist
>The Northwest Conservation District
>Torrington, CT Phone: 860-626-7222 FAX: 860-626-8833
>NCD at snet.net
>Co-chair, Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
>http://hort.uconn.edu/cipwg
>
>"One of the penalties of an ecological education is that
>one lives in a world of wounds. Much of the damage
>inflicted is quite invisible to laymen."
>  Round River - Aldo Leopold, 1953
>