KARNACK, Texas, June 6, 2008 – The Cypress Valley Navigation District (CVND) held a celebration yesterday on Caddo Lake to thank partners for their aid in controlling non-native vegetation on the lake. Ducks Unlimited (DU), through a partnership with Syngenta, has provided $20,000 of aquatic herbicide to assist in the campaign against giant salvinia & water hyacinth. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) was recognized for their donation of an airboat for use in herbicide treatments as well.

“We are in a continuous battle with giant salvinia and water hyacinth out here on the lake,” remarked Kevin Herriman, Northeast Texas Ecosystem Project Leader for TPWD. “Being able to deal with this challenge takes a team effort with both public and private organizations, such as DU and Syngenta. We hope to continue to work together to combat invasive plants on Caddo Lake and elsewhere. More than anything else, today we want to say ‘thank you’ to all those who are united in this effort.”

Judge Richard Anderson recognized State Senator Kevin Eltiffe, along with State Representatives Bryan Hughes and Stephen Frost, for continued support of conservation efforts at Caddo Lake. Eltiffe noted that his ability to gain support in Austin for efforts like this one is greatly enhanced with such a diverse and vibrant partnership of local, regional, private and public interests.

“The herbicides donated by Syngenta to spray infestations of giant salvinia and water hyacinth will go a long way towards helping the partnership be successful,” said DU Regional Biologist Keith McKnight. “Caddo Lake is a designated Wetland of International Importance that provides vital habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife in east Texas. We are glad that DU can be a part of this effort.”

Giant salvinia is a non-native, invasive aquatic fern from South America. The plant has had catastrophic impacts on aquatic ecosystems on several continents and reached Caddo Lake in 2006. It spreads by vegetative growth, and small pieces of the plant rapidly produce more plants. With the ability to double its numbers in 2-10 days and the habit of producing mats of up to two feet thick, giant salvinia can completely cover waterways and prevent the passage of sunlight and oxygen that native plants, fish, insects and other species require.

“It can essentially kill a body of water,” McKnight explained. “It makes lakes and streams look more like putting greens, and it eliminates or greatly impairs lake-related opportunities including boating, fishing and hunting.”

In order to effectively combat giant salvinia infestations on Caddo Lake, managers must also treat water hyacinth. The water hyacinth serves as a very effective hiding spot for the fern. Because the effective herbicides for waterhyacinth are ineffective on giant salvinia, combinations of herbicides must be used.

With more than a million supporters, Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest and most effective wetland and waterfowl conservation organization with almost 12 million acres conserved. The United States alone has lost more than half of its original wetlands - nature’s most productive ecosystem - and continues to lose more than 80,000 wetland acres each year.

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Andi Cooper     601-206-5463     acooper@ducks.org