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After our last blog posting, we saw a great deal of discussion via our social media sites (twitter, LinkedIn, etc).  It has been great to review what has happened over the past ten years of our society, but what about since the APMS was founded in 1961.  Many of you may not know this, but our society was ACTUALLY initiated as the “Hyacinth Control Society” on July 17, 1961.  Anyone want to guess what the “big topic” might have been during that era?  We’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count….. (more…)

Hot topics seem to change by the minute, if not the second, in today’s world.  This morning’s celebrity scandal is overshadowed by reports of corruption in politics or sports in the afternoon.  We are a society that lives in the here and now, but a lot can be learned from our past.  Although not as readily amended as pop culture news, topics certainly change in the science of aquatic plant management and some stay the same.  These topics are a sign of the times and potentially even a sign of things to come.  This week’s blog will raise the question: “What do YOU think the big topics over the last ten years have been?” and “Where do you see the science going in the future?”  We have our opinion, so why don’t you let us know if you agree! (more…)

The “common” reed (Phragmites), as its name would imply, is one of the most widely distributed flowering plants across the globe. Phragmites exists on every single continent except Antarctica and, in the past century, has begun to cause major problems in North America. Although native varieties of the plant exist in North America, introductions of plants from Europe and Asia have created a virtual hodgepodge of common reed that even the most seasoned botanist can’t differentiate between. (more…)

I fondly remember watching my dad drink coffee on Sunday morning while reading the paper.  As an inquisitive 4 year old, I wondered what this warm liquid that my dad so eagerly gulped tasted like.  So as he went for a second round of pancakes, I shot in for a quick sip.  The bitter taste of what could only be described by a pre-K as dirty feet soaked in oil made its way out of my mouth as fast as it went in.  While I sat and wondered why any sane person would drink such a retched drink, my dad quickly chimed in with “Son, that will most certainly stunt your growth!”.  Years later I do find myself wishing I was a little taller (if only I hadn’t taken that sip) yet I am often found sipping that same drink every morning on my way to work, which I (and likely many of you) now would describe as the “nectar of the gods”.   (more…)

Photo Credit – Jamie Morgan

As temperatures start to rise and rainfall becomes less, summer is a great time to cool off at your local water body, be it swimming, water skiing, or fishing. However, summer also marks the season of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are often the dominant primary producers in ponds void of aquatic vegetation. They have the ability to fix nitrogen and regulate buoyancy, providing a clear advantage over desired species that fuel the food-chain such as diatoms and green algae. (more…)

The APMS supports a great deal of student research through it’s many National and Regional research scholarships and awards.  One such award offered is the Philip M. Fields Scholarship, provided by the South Carolina Aquatic Plant Management Society.  The scholarship is awarded to a student who is researching an area related to the biology, ecology or management of aquatic plants in the Southeastern region.  Applications are evaluated on the basis of relevant test scores (ACT, SAT, GRE, etc.), high school and/or college grades, quality and relevance of course work or research, a proposed budget, information obtained from references, and other related information.

Mercurio, the 2012 award recipient, in the field.

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AVM positive coot. Photo Credit – UGA Wilde Lab

First documented at DeGray Lake, Arkansas in 1994, the neurologic disease Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM) has been implicated in numerous deaths among waterbirds and their avian predators.  Currently, the disease has been confirmed in six species of waterfowl, two bird of prey species and one shorebird.  A trend in deaths of the affected species has been noticed in the fall/winter seasons of various southeastern reservoirs. One particular reservoir on the Georgia – South Carolina Border has seen some of the greatest numbers of deaths across water bodies affected.  (more…)

Photo Credit: TAMU AQUAPLANT

If you own a pond in the southeast, you have likely run into problems with duckweed.  While the plants do serve several benefits such as bioremediation and biofuel production, nuisance populations can cause negative impacts as well.    Although individual plants are among the smallest in the world, duckweed colonies can spell big headaches for landowners, clogging irrigation intakes, impeding navigation, and causing fluctuations to dissolved oxygen that can spell disaster for aquatic life.  While these plants don’t usually cause problems in large, public water bodies, they can be a major nuisance to backyard and agricultural ponds as well as water gardens.  Control of these minute plants can present many challenges as the small size and staggering reproductive ability of duckweed makes it almost impossible to remove all plants from a system. (more…)

Successful aquatic plant management can be broken down into three main components: 1) Identify, survey, and quantify, 2.) exert management and 3).  assess the efficacy of management efforts.  Arguably the most important part of a successful aquatic plant management plan is the accurate identification and quantification of the species of interest.  More often than not, surveys of submersed aquatic plants require extensive, time-consuming survey to get an adequate “picture” of what lies beneath the surface. (more…)