Odds n' Ends

The goal of the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project is to provide resources (technology, methods, and information) to resource managers statewide to aid in the fight against invasive alien species statewide. It is based at the Botany Department of the University of Hawaii. For information about HEAR, visit: http://www.hear.org

Clean Lakes homepage. http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/lakes/lakes.html

Biological control. A case study, Use of Aquatic Weevils to Control a Nuisance Weed in Lake Bomoseen, Vermont, EPA document number 841-F-97-002, Number 3, can be downloaded from http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/lakes/onlinedocs.html . Free printed copies of this and other reports are available from National Center for Environmental Publications and Information (NCEPI), 11029 Kenwood Road, Building 5, Cincinnati, OH 45242; (513)-489-8190; (800)-490-9198. Other case studies can be downloaded from the same site.

Index of Watershed Indicators. Aquatic resources information on all 2,111 watersheds in the continental United States. 15 different indicators, or data layers, which describe the watershed's health: http://www.epa.gov/surf/iwi/

St. Johns RiverPage. A Web "digest of environmental issues, organizations, and events", from the St. Johns River watershed in northeast, north-central and east-central Florida: http://www.stjohnsriver.org/default.shtml

Native plants of South Florida. An interesting amateur Web site: http://www.mangonet.com/~doog/sofl_plants/index.html

Pulling Together--National Strategy for Invasive Plant Management, is the magnum opus of the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds. This book is "a strategic overview...a road map intended to highlight successful ways to battle invasive plants." Read the entire book online, or download it: http://bluegoose.arw.r9.fws.gov/ficmnewfiles/NatlweedStrategytoc.html

Biological Control of Weeds Working Group Web site: http://gnv.ifas.ufl.edu/~iobcweed/

The Tianjin Aquatic Research Institute is engaged in studies of the ecology, physiology and reproduction of freshwater fish, and maintains large-scale fish culture facilities. E-mail: look@shell.tjvan.com.cn

The International Society of Limnology (SIL) seeks funds to help develop limnology-education materials for undergraduate students in developing countries, especially in the areas of general limnology, methods and identification keys. Contact Prof. Bob Wetzel, E-mail: rwetzel@biology.as.ua.edu

To report finding purple loosestrife in Vermont, or to get an informative purple loosestrife flyer, contact Department of Environmental Conservation, Water Quality Division, Wetlands Office, 103 South Main Street, Bldg. 10 North, Waterbury, Vermont 05671-0408, (802)-241-3770.

The USDA-ARC Aquatic Weed Control Laboratory is associated with the University of California at Davis. For information about its research and other programs, visit its WWW site: http://veghome.ucdavis.edu/AquaticWeed/AQUATIC.HTM

The Wetland Science Institute (WLI) is part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the WLI is to provide expertise to NRCS and others regarding wetland delineation, conservation and creation and to serve as technical liaison with government and university research centers. For more information, contact Billy M. Teels, Director; Wetland Science Institute, 11400 American Holly Drive, Laurel, MD 20708-4014, (301)-497-5938. WWW: http://www.pwrc.nbs.gov/wetsci.htm

Prentox Prenfish Grass Carp Management Bait is a product specifically developed to selectively kill grass carp. It is a rotenone based product which according to the manufacturer can remove grass carp "without harm to desirable game fish." For more information, contact Prentiss Incorporated (516)-326-1919; or contact product developer, Dr James R. Fajt, (913)-539-9194 or E-mail: Jimfajt@aol.com

Natives vs Exotics. "There is absolutely no biological validity to the concepts of native' and exotic' species..." For a different and thought-provoking point of view regarding non-native species, direct your browser to: http://www.s-p-h.com/grower/natives_vs_exotics.html

Keeping submersed plants under control around boat and fishing docks can be done automatically by the Crary WeedRoller, a patented machine that repeatedly rolls a heavy aluminum tube in an arc around a drive unit that is attached to a dock piling. By "agitating the lake bottom" in this way, plants are prevented from growing, leaving bare bottom. For more information, contact Crary Company, Box 849, West Fargo, ND 58078-0849, (800)-247-7335. The base price for the 25-foot unit for a depth of 5 feet is $2,395.

Among the plethora of purple loosestrife interest groups is the Manitoba (Canada) Purple Loosestrife Project. Their Web site includes newsletters, brochures and pictures as well as research notes and abstracts: http://www.ducks.ca/purple/