A new project is underway on the banks of Caddo Lake in an effort to take back the lake. Giant salvinia has had its grips on the lake for nearly a decade now and shows no sign of slowing down. Harsh winters will set it back, but only for a while. Chemicals will knock it out, but it comes back. The past 6 months have seen salvinia coverage on the lake reach its highest level yet only to be pummeled by several rounds of extended cold. Through it all, the threat of salvinia remains great.
This lingering threat and the desire to "keep Caddo Lake Natural" is really the driving force behind a grass roots effort to do something about giant salvinia. The Greater Caddo Lake Association of Texas (GCLA) began fund rasing last year and has now begun construction on a lake side salvinia weevil rearing facility. This facility will be similar to the Center for Invasive Species Eradication (CISE) facility at the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge and a sister facility operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
A key difference in the GCLA facility and the CISE facility is their primary mission: production vs. research. Being located on the Lake, the GCLA facility will have access to a ready supply of water that is quite suitable for salvinia growth. Easy lake access is another benefit as is the publicity that the facility will receive on the lake's shore.
Much work is left to be done, but GCLA hopes to have the facility up and running early in the 2014 growing season. They of course can use your support and appreciate help in spreading the word. Visit their website at www.gclaoftx.com.
They also have some YouTube video to help explain what they are doing. Check it out below. http://youtu.be/pKe3xvEEjpY
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