NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

January 5, 1999

CONTACT: Blake Sasse (561) 791-4052

PILOT PROJECT LAUNCHED TO PROTECT EVERGLADES FROM CATTAIL INVASION

WEST PALM BEACH--A pilot project using an environmentally friendly herbicide and controlled burning of the Everglades marsh may be at least part of the answer to the cattail infestation choking out open-water habitat vital to alligators, wading birds, and waterfowl.

Blake Sasse, wildlife biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Wellington Field Office, reports the pilot cattail eradication began in early November when the FWC directed aerial spraying by helicopter of the herbicide Rodeo in the Holey Land Wildlife Management Area in southwestern Palm Beach County.

"Almost one-third of the 35,000 acre area is covered with cattails," Sasse said. "Most of that growth has occurred since 1991. The explosion of cattails is, in large part, the result of damage suffered before water levels were restored to natural levels. The cattail growth was also fueled by phosphorus run off from agricultural areas."

Five different areas, totaling 80 acres, were treated with herbicide, according to Sasse. A month later FWC personnel returned and set a controlled blaze to clear out the dead and decaying cattails. FWC biologists will soon carry out follow-up surveys to determine the project's success.

The pilot program was a joint effort involving the FWC, the South Florida Water Management District, and the Broward County Chapter of Waterfowl U.S.A., a waterfowl hunter/conservationist group. The SFWMD provided $5,000 for the herbicide while Waterfowl U.S.A. footed the $3,000 bill for helicopter rental.

"Our FWC helicopter is not configured for spraying which required us to use a private helicopter service," Sasse said. "This experimental effort was primarily designed to provide additional open water areas to improve duck hunting at Holey Land, a popular site for hundreds of area sportsmen. Creating more open water, however, will benefit a wide array of wildlife including endangered .

"If the results are promising, we might see this approach used on a much larger scale throughout the Everglades," Sasse said. "This particular herbicide has minimal negative effects and has been approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This isn't a cure-all, but it may prove to be one more useful management practice in preserving the integrity of Everglades marsh habitat."

The Holey Land is located just north of the L-5 Levee, approximately six miles west of U.S. 27, and immediately east of the Miami Canal Levee. The site is popular among duck hunters and fishermen. It is one of more than 100 wildlife management areas maintained by the FWC throughout the state.