Lakes Hatchineha, Cypress, Jackson to benefit from herbicide treatments
News Release
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Media contact: Joy Hill, 352-258-3426
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will
treat about 350 acres of dense stands of aquatic plants in three
Osceola County lakes to improve both foraging habitat for fish and
wildlife and fishing access for anglers.
The targeted plants are cattails, pickerelweed, American lotus
and knotweed, and they will be treated via helicopter with the
herbicides glyphosate and 2,4-D. Aerial treatments are an efficient
and effective method for controlling certain types of aquatic
plants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves both
herbicides for use in lakes.
Anglers and other lake users can expect to see the helicopter
treating lakes Hatchineha, Cypress and Jackson from May 18 through
May 20, weather permitting.
On Lake Hatchineha, approximately 120 acres of emergent plants,
primarily cattail, will be treated to keep them from encroaching on
desirable native submersed vegetation. About 80 acres of cattail
and pickerelweed will be treated on Lake Cypress to maintain
desirable densities of emergent plants for fish and wildlife and to
promote native submersed vegetation.
Emergent plants are those that grow up out of the water;
submersed plants are those growing below the water's surface.
American lotus, a large, round-leaved plant that looks similar
to lily pads and spatterdock, has covered approximately 60 percent
of Lake Jackson. Although anglers have been doing very well
fishing for bass on the lake, access to fishing areas has become
difficult. Many areas that provided good fishing as recently as
three months ago now are covered with lotus and unfishable.
To address this problem, approximately 130 acres of navigation
trails and fishing lanes through the lotus will be created with
herbicide treatments. The trails should be open about two weeks
after treatments. In addition, 20 acres of knotweed will be treated
to reduce plant densities to a level that improves fish and
wildlife foraging habitat.
For questions about these treatments, contact Tim Coughlin, FWC
biological administrator, at 352-732-1225.
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