Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
OSFR Hand-Pulling Hyacinth with FWC and Rum 138
Our Santa Fe River organization, Florida Fish Wildlife Commission and Rum 138 outfitters are teaming up for an instructional clean-up of invasive aquatic vegetation.
Need a few good volunteers on this Thursday (July 13th) that are not afraid of getting wet, picking up wet plants and discovering and releasing a host of critters in the snags of the river where surface aquatic plants congregate.
We also need growers that are willing to experiment with this invasive vegetation for use as fertilizer or mulch.
Learn from the FWC experts that control the invasive plants species on the Santa Fe River.
Get a formal understanding of what is being used (Diquat) presently to control the build up of thick matts of hyacinth.
Be a part of the solution for the health of our aquatic systems.
Looking for a few more properties along the shoreline where hyacinth can be removed safely and deposited for further removal off sight or onto high ground. Permitting may be required for this particular part of the procedure.
Volunteers will leave from Canoe Outpost at 9 am.
For more information contact Merrillee Jipson, board member of Our Santa Fe River and owner of Rum 138: 386-454-3348.
Even though an invasive, I am wondering (unless they are blocking the waterway) if leaving and monitoring the hyacinth would be a more viable option. Sometimes when you pull up the invasives the filamentous algae take over before any of the native subaquatic vegetation can recover and any aquatic creatures living and thriving in the invasives are disturbed and die. Just a thought. I’ve seen it happen.