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Updated 10/29/09. Latest news is at the bottom of the post. -------------------------------------------------------- Brazilian water-weed success story from Washington State CHRISTIAN HILL; The Olympian The NewsTribune.com Officials hope they've finally eradicated a noxious plant choking a stretch of the Chehalis River in south Thurston County, WA more than 10 years after it was discovered there. The Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Board completed the annual removal of Brazilian elodea ( Egeria densa ) from the salmon-bearing river at the end of September and could find no remaining trace of the plant. It will continue to monitor the river, and the plant will be deemed eradicated if there’s no evidence of its return in the next three years, said Rick Johnson, Thurston County’s noxious weed coordinator. “We’re thrilled we’re in front of it instead of playing catch-up,” he said. Brazilian elodea is a pesky plant. Rooting in waters up to 20 feet deep, the dark-green, fast-growin...

The following article refers to a lake in Indiana, but I thought it was informative for us folks in the east. Invasive plant battle appears won at one lake The invasive Brazilian elodea, a plant commonly used in home aquariums, appears to have been eradicated from Griffy Lake, a 109-acre impoundment near Bloomington, Indiana after a multi-year battle waged by the Department of Natural Resources, pointing to chance for success elsewhere in the state. "The last Brazilian elodea observed at the lake was at the beginning of the 2007 treatment season," said Doug Keller, aquatic invasive species coordinator with DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife. "We've performed extensive searches on numerous occasions each year since the plant was last seen, and we have not been able to locate any sign of it again. "With all the work and money put into this project to eradicate an invasive plant species new to Indiana, it is exciting to be able to claim a victory." The su...

Updated June 27 -------------------------------------------------------- Program on alien plants to be held at Five Rivers Center, NY A program on the natural history of the common reed, or phragmites, will be conducted Tuesday, July 14, 7 PM, at Five Rivers Center, 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar, NY. Phragmites is an invasive species that is threatening Five Rivers' wetlands. Join Center naturalists in a "plant posse" as we try to eradicate these plants near our pond by clipping them back. Bring gloves and clippers and dress for the outdoors. This program is open to the public free of charge. Participants are urged to dress for outdoor activity. Water-friendly footgear is suggested. In the event of inclement weather this program may be canceled. For more information, call the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Five Rivers Environmental Education Center at (518) 475-0291. Laurel Remus Director of Public Affairs and Education -------------------------...

Council to remove Egeria densa from lake in New York Written by Matt Dalen, LewisboroLegend.com With luck, the Three Lakes Council will soon have eradicated an invader to Lake Waccabuc. With no public comments objecting to the plan, and permission from all of the landowners involved, the town Planning Board on Tuesday, March 24 approved the council’s proposal to suck the invasive plant species Egeria densa out of Waccabuc Cove on Lake Waccabuc once the weather warms. The town Planning Board had closed a scheduled public hearing on the plan earlier this month after a short discussion of what the eradication of the plant will entail. The proposal, which is expected to start in May and last two to three weeks, would involve divers taking suction hoses to the lake bottom over an area of about two acres, trying to remove any and all plant material that could re-start the infestation. Egeria is capable of regrowing from a small fragment of its stem, a feature that makes it desirable in the h...

Updated 2/12 Exotic fish pose threat to native species in Everglades By Curtis Morgan, Miami Herald The small pond six miles deep in Everglades National Park suddenly began bubbling like a pot aboil -- a telltale sign of air-slurping walking catfish. Dave Hallac, the park's chief biologist, dipped a net into the muddy commotion and hauled up a mess of wriggling slime so hefty it surprised even him. He counted out 56 fish from a single scoop. Walking catfish, along with other species originally imported for somebody's tank or table, outnumbered natives in this shallow, shady bayhead by an unhealthy margin. Unlike giant python, the Glades' most notorious invader, these dinky denizens don't draw attention to their presence by, say, swallowing an alligator and exploding. But for park scientists, their spread is no small concern. ''This is a problem that is 10 times worse than the python, but it's all under water, so nobody knows about it,'' Hallac said. ...