Hydrophyte Volume 24 Issue 4 - August 2020

The South Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society

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Volume 24 Issue 4

Special Training Issue

Highlights Timing is Everything - Planning beyond your last treatment Working Harder to Make Hydrilla Harvesting Work Staying Well During COVID-19: Importance of Wearing a Face Covering

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President’s Message

Board Members - 2020

I hope everyone’s family is healthy during these trying times. There is so much uncertainty in the world and no health “expert” can predict the future. One thing I do know is the South Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society serves a vital purpose for licensed applicators in South Florida.

We are more than just a place where water managers meet every three months to catch up with each other. We provide continuing education units, quarterly publications, updated job postings and social media posts on current events in our industry.

Officers 2020

Members and sponsors will be receiving renewal letters in the near future. Please understand the nominal membership dues is what keeps this society going. Unfortunately, due to social distancing guidelines, we are unable to provide quarterly meetings. The board is discussing options in lieu of these meetings to help find ways to assist in getting your continuing education credits.

Keith Andreu (239) 694-2174

This pandemic will end and we need to make sure the society is prepared to pick up where we left off when this hit. If anyone has any ideas that may be helpful in any way to the membership, please reach out to me or any of the board members.

Together, we will get through this and come out shining on the other side.

Andy Fuhrman President

Andy Fuhrman, President (954) 382-9766 afuhrman@allstatemanagement.com Dail Laughinghouse, Vice President (954) 577-6382 hlaughinghouse@ufl.edu Linda Wolonick, Secretary/Treasurer (954) 370-0041 linda@expertbizsolution.com Hughie Cucurullo, Immediate Past President (561) 845-5525 hcucurullo@avcaquatic.com Board Members 2020 andreu@lchcd.org

Rose Bechard-Butman (954) 519-0317 rbechardbutman@broward.org James Boggs (352) 521-3538

boggsj@helenachemical.com

Norma Cassinari (334) 741-9393

ngcassinari@alligare.com

Lyn Gettys, Ph.D. (954) 577-6331

lgettys@ufl.edu

Scott Jackson (561) 402-0682 Rory Roten, Ph.D. (321) 890-4367 Dharmen Setaram (407) 670-4094

scott.jackson@syngenta.com roryr@sepro.com dsetaram@landolakes.com

Steven Weinsier (954) 382-9766 sweinsier@allstatemanagement.com

The Francis E. “Chil” Rossbach Scholarship Fund

Cover Photo by Allstate Resource Management Staff

Funds from the scholarship are used to help defray costs for students taking classes related to the study of aquatic environmental sciences or related areas. The scholarship is open to anyone, and all are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted throughout the year and the scholarship awarded when a suitable candidate is found. Money raised by the Society during the year partially goes to fund this scholarship, the intent of which is to promote the study of aquatics.

For an application, please go to www.sfapms.org.

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

Florida Tropical Slaw Recipe from Fresh From Florida

Ingredients ⅓ head Florida red cabbage, thinly shredded ⅓ head Florida green cabbage, thinly shredded 2 Florida carrots, grated 1 Florida mango, diced small

2 green onions, sliced thin ¼ cup apple cider vinegar ¼ cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped fine Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons Florida sugar 2 tablespoons Florida orange juice

Preparation In a small bowl combine sugar, orange juice, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, mango, green onions, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, add the dressing and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

www.sfapms.org

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

www.sfapms.org

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

www.sfapms.org

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

www.sfapms.org

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Training Module - Timing is Everything No continuing education credits are available for this training module, it is purely for training purposes.

www.sfapms.org

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mechanical harvesting WORKING HARDER TO MAKE HYDRILLA HARVESTING WORK By: Dr. James Leary, UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants Faculty Mechanical harvesting aquatic plants is not a new concept. Increasingly larger and more efficient machines have been used in Florida to fight invasive plants for over a century. However, the use of these machines have declined in recent years as herbicide technology has improved. This trend has resulted in mechanical harvesting being seen as too slow and too expensive for wide-spread use. Is this perception truly the case?

Is there enough data at real-world scales to know if harvesting is less efficient? Turns out, there is not enough data to answer the question. Therefore, in the summer of 2019, The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (UF/IFAS CAIP) began a project focused on re-evaluating the feasibility of harvesting hydrilla, a submersed invasive plant.

THE EXPERIMENT The experiment was conducted on Lake Tohopekaliga (Lake Toho), at operational scale.

Lake Toho has the largest hydrilla infestation in the state of Florida. Every year the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are tasked with treating more than 3,500 infested acres just to maintain 50% cover (i.e., ~9,000 acres of hydrilla). If this herbicide-based maintenance program is to be offset with mechanical harvesting operations, an optimal strategy is needed to compensate for managing large scale infestations of aquatic plants.

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WORKING HARDER TO MAKE HYDRILLA HARVESTING WORK

The research approach was to generate new data for mechanical harvesters operating on 329 acres of topped-out hydrilla. Since most of the data has been generated from small machines working in small research plots, researchers wanted to document the efficiency of large boats harvesting in real-world conditions. To track the progress in real time, each harvester was fitted with GPS tracking devices, similar to those used on fleet delivery vehicles. The GPS tracking allowed researchers to know the precise speed and location of each harvester, down to the second, for every day of operation. Moreover, modified fish finders were used to determine how much hydrilla was harvested. Instead of looking for fish, these instruments look for plants and can accurately show how much hydrilla was present before and after each harvest.

At the end of the experiment, six harvesters worked for a total of 1,022 hours and covered 99% of the total project area. Harvesters, on average, cut 1.4 acres per hour. This speed was surprisingly consistent with previous (small-scale) research conducted in the 1970s and 80s. Modest reductions in hydrilla were observed during the experiment (June-August), but quickly increased by 40% one month after operations ceased (September).

THE FUTURE Is mechanical harvesting the future of aquatic plant management? This is a question that has been asked many times over the decades. The summer of 2019 was one of the largest hydrilla harvest projects ever recorded. Based on the outcomes of this study, each acre of hydrilla would require between 5-9 harvester-hours to manage hydrilla and its rapid regrowth. Therefore, to continue managing 3,500 acres of hydrilla on Lake Toho would require 17,000-30,000 harvester-hours every year. Unfortunately, there is not currently enough harvesting equipment in Florida to meet this demand.

In order to make mechanical harvesters work, more research is needed to find new technologies to make harvesting more efficient and economical. Therefore, aquatic plant managers and researchers will need to put their heads together and devise new strategies to further improve aquatic plant management in Florida’s public lakes.

This project was funded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in an effort to enhance their aquatic plant management program.

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STAYING WELL DURING COVID-19: IMPORTANCE OF WEARING A FACE COVERING

By Brenda Marty Jimenez, MHM, RDN, LDN, FAND UF/IFAS Extension, Broward County For staff working out in the field, knowing about COVID-19, and wearing face masks to help flatten the curve is so important. Everyone needs to work safely during this time. Over the past several months, we have learned more about the COVID-19 virus and how it is spread. No one knows how long this is going to last. According to the CDC, people can transmit the virus to others even if they have no symptoms or before they develop symptoms. This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity — for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing — even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. To slow the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings over your mouth and nose.

It is commonplace to not be allowed into grocery stores, shopping centers, pharmacies, and other venues without wearing a face covering. Along with hand washing and staying home when you are sick, wearing a face covering is an important way to help slow the spread of COVID-19 on the job and out and about in the community.

Crews that maintain our aquatic plant systems and waterways, must take precautions to avoid being exposed to COVID-19. They must reduce exposure to COVID-19 and quickly get tested for COVID-19 if symptoms develop or if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Wearing a face covering when riding in a vehicle with co-workers and, working with others is an important way to prevent COVID-19.

According to the National Association of Landscape Professionals, “Field crews must understand and be sensitive to the public’s concern about COVID-19 transmission” and they support the CDC recommendation of wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult.

What is a face covering?

A cloth face covering, that is worn over the mouth and nose, is used to protect against COVID-19.

Face coverings should fit snuggly yet be comfortable when secured in place with ear loops.

Many choose to wear a cloth bandana or a Survivor (reality TV show), type of buff. The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Face coverings can be purchased, made, or sewn at home using common cloth fabrics that can be low cost. Face coverings should be made of materials that are durable enough to allow for and withstand routine machine washing and drying.

Face coverings should fit well and allow a person to breathe easily. For people that have difficulty breathing when wearing a mask, they should follow the advice of their health care provider.

Who should not wear a cloth face covering?

Face coverings should not be placed on children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

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DID YOU KNOW?

© Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

The State Reef Fish Survey replaced the Gulf Reef Fish Survey on July 1, 2020. All anglers on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida who intend to fish for or harvest certain reef fish from a private vessel are required to obtain the State Reef Fish Angler designation.

Those with a Gulf Reef Fish Angler designation will meet the statewide requirement until the Gulf designation expires, even if you are fishing on the Atlantic coast.

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WEBSITES PRINT MARKETING Jodi Miller jodi@interactivedesignandmedia.com www.interactivedesignandmedia.com 561.843.1376

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