Hydrilla flies, bow hunting dominate weed meeting

By Maurice Emery
Editor

Representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers must have thought they were sitting on a fire when they came to last week’s Lake Gaston Weed Control Council (LGWCC) meeting. They not only had to wait to make their presentation, after they made their presentation and asked for questions they were peppered with several questions they acted like they shouldn’t have to answer. 

Army Corp representative, Dr. Michael Grodowitz, gave a presentation on the “hydrilla fly.”  The presentation seemed to cover all aspects of the research, but it didn’t cover two questions that ended up being briefly debated:  1) how do they know that if when the fly is done eating the hydrilla it won’t go on and eat other surround vegetation including local farmers crops; and 2) who authorized the release of the flies in Lake Gaston?

Grodowitz stated that 1.5 million flies had been released earlier this year in the Lake west of I-85 in two specific areas. Commissioner Robert Conner from Brunswick county was very concerned with making sure the flies would not harm any other crops.  Grodowitz says that the only plant they eat is hydrilla.  When Conner followed up with asking how they knew that he was informed that extensive testing had been done for over five years and they did not find any other plant the flies would eat.   

“When the insects were first released in 1987 they have never received any reports of the insect eating any other plants,” Grodowitz stated. 

The second question who authorized the release seemed to bring more concern to the council members.  According to Grodowitz he has worked with both NC and VA, but the final permitting comes from the federal government and he really doesn’t need anyone other local permission.

Council President Dr. Elton Brown questioned why the weed council did not get specific notification as to where and when the flies would be released.  From the discussion that ensued it was revealed that although some people knew where the flies were released, the weed council itself did not know where they were released.  Some members knew the flies would be released but none of them knew where. 

Dr. Brown went on to reveal that his concern was to make sure that the flies were not released in the same areas where this year’s weed treatment would be applied. It was revealed that although the corps has had that situation in Lake Gaston there may have been other areas where it has occurred.   (The Observer will be publishing more on the experiments being done to help control noxious weeds in future issues.)

Dr.  Brown announced that in the future meetings will be called to order before people start eating so the actual business part of the meeting can start at any time. The present method means that the meetings are generally longer and some members travel for over and hour to get to the meeting.

It was announced that the RFP for the next year will be worked on in the coming months to make sure it has been reviewed by attorneys from each state and all members of the board prior to being put out to bid. It was not stated but it was implied that this action is to try to prevent the confusion that ensued last year over the wording of the RFP.  

There was a lengthy discussion on posting of signs prkor to treatment and the requirement to do so.  It was stated that where it was necessary to post sign because of chemical strength they are posted.  Skip Wiegersma told the Observer that he used over 2,700 signs so far this year and many of them are used several times.  He added that he employs two people just to post the signs, he pays them by the hour. There have been a few complaints concerning the lack of posting and also about damage to lawns from chemicals.

A representative from Sepro the chemical manufacturer stated that if people are seeing problems with their lawn right after treatment it is probably not from the treatment, because it would take a longer amount of time to do any damage.  He also stated tht amount of chemical being used should have no impact on your lawn.  Sepro did offer that they will be glad to meet with any property owner who feels they have a complaint to research what did happen.

It was also brought out that just because you see a treatment boat in an area does not mean they are treating the area.  They could be in the area for a variety of reasons. 

There was also a brief discussion on bow hunting for grass carp. Dr. Brown said that the weed council has created a new sport for the Lake.  Prior to grass carp being put in the lake they would never have been able to hunt them.  Now it is confusing as to why the state that helps pay to put the grass carp in the Lake would also allow people to hunt them and remove them from the lake.  The council felt that they have done all they could at this time to try to bet the state to outlaw bow hunting of grass carp.

The next weed council meeting is tentatively set for October 22.