Tampa, Florida was the host city for the 44th Annual Aquatic Plant Management Society (APMS) meeting held July 11th - 14th. 220 delegates attended, including 18 students, to learn the latest in aquatic plant management from 49 papers and 23 posters. Nine of the presentations were given by students in the annual student paper competition. Seven of the students are working on their Ph.D. and two on their Master’s degree.
Sarah Habrun of the College of Charleston won the student competition for her presentation, Investigation of a Novel Cyanobacteria Linked to Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM). AVM is a fatal bird disease and Ms. Habrun states that “the most probable hypothesis is that birds ingest a neurotoxin produced by epiphytic cyanobacteria.” The toxic cyanobacteria has been closely associated with Hydrilla verticillata in reservoirs in the southeastern U.S., and has already adversely affected local breeding populations of American bald eagles.
All student presenters received a copy of C.D. Sculthorpe’s The Biology of Aquatic Vascular Plants, or the text of their choice.
Linda Nelson and Judy Shearer from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Environmental Laboratory won the poster competition with their poster, “Integrating Triclopyr and a Fungal Pathogen (Mycoleptodiscus terrestris) for Control of Eurasian Watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum).” The pair received a perfect score from a judging panel of student attendees.
A variety of interesting presentations were given, including economic studies, updates on biological and chemical control methods, ecological studies, and a special session on plant resistance and tolerance to aquatic herbicides.
Dr. T. Wayne Miller, Jr., founder of the APMS (originally known as the Hyacinth Control Society), presented his recollections from approximately 40 years of aquatic plant management experience beginning in 1960. He displayed a photograph of water hyacinths blocking access to a boat dock in Lee County, Florida from a 1960 edition of The Saturday Evening Post that inspired county commissioners to create the first hyacinth control program in the nation.
A review from regional APMS chapters was given, including Florida, Midsouth, Midwest, Northeast, Texas, and South Carolina. Chapter membership numbers range from less than 100 to approximately 500 in the Florida chapter. The APMS and most regional chapters award student scholarships in aquatic plant sciences yearly.
The 45th Annual APMS meeting will be held in San Antonio, Texas. See http://www.apms.org for more information on all APMS activities and events.
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