Objectives
Efforts of CISE will initially be directed to giant salvinia control mechanisms that will be demonstrated and deployed at Caddo Lake. This setting, with the collaborative efforts of the multiple entities involved, will serve as a proving ground for development and verification of control and management techniques for giant salvinia. Those practices will then be included in the NRCS Field Office Technical Guides (FOTG), used in Extension educational materials and programs, and included in the efforts of all the agencies and groups involved on both private and public lands alike.
Following are primary needs that will be addressed:
- Evaluate individual and combined control practices (including chemical, biological, mechanical and other management) to determine their effectiveness and cost comparisons
- Develop specifications and recommendations for individual and combined control methods verified through the effective control of giant salvinia at Caddo Lake and surrounding water bodies
- Evaluate and quantify non-targeted environmental and ecosystem impacts resulting from demonstrated control methods and develop mitigation practices to minimize adverse effects
- Develop AgriLife Extension educational programs for landowners and managers on methods for controlling and eliminating giant salvinia and for preventing its spread from infected to non-infected waters
- Collaborate with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and other agencies and nongovernmental organizations to expand and enhance public educational efforts to help prevent the spread of giant salvinia