Mark your calendars for the annual BBQ Fundraiser for August 31. We begin serving plates around 11 am. We typically run out in a few hours so come get your plate early. We will have tables set up for your dining pleasure or feel free to take your plate to go. We also will have a raffle table set up. Raffle tickets will be on sale 3 for $25 or 10 for $100. Ticket sales will be online soon and can also be purchased at the event. See you there! 

Late September and early October were spent writing grants, getting the greenhouse operating, and preparing for the first release. The release on September 12th was very successful, considering it was a land release (much more difficult) and the system-including the volunteers-had not been tried before. Despite a few glitches, 72 totes of weevil-infested salvinia (WIS) were deployed in Willowson Woodyard, and the greenhouse restocked with fresh salvinia (in the same totes) in about 5 hours. Some tweaking still needs to be done, but this is without question a feather in everybody’s cap.

By Lee Eisenberg

Giant salvinia is an invasive aquatic weed with an explosive growth rate that enables it to out compete native plants and form large floating mats. Under these mats, the lack of sunlight and oxygen create conditions that can kill phytoplankton (the base of the food chain), as well as most fish.

This video addresses how the Greater Caddo Lake Association of Texas and the Caddo Lake Institute are working to control the invasive aquatic plant giant salvinia by growing salvinia weevils at Caddo Lake.

The Greater Caddo Lake Association of Texas is proud to announce the grand opening of the first high production Giant Salvinia Greenhouse in the world. We have completed the first phase of our goal to develop a BioControl based Giant Salvinia management program for Caddo Lake.

In the past week we have finished the construction of the greenhouse and started raising weevils in the salvinia tanks.

The Greater Caddo Lake Association of Texas (GCLA) “Salvinia Action Committee” was formed in October of 2013. The goal was twofold — First, to have as many Caddo-focused organizations as possible on the same page, with the same plan, pooling resources and driving in the same direction to manage the Salvinia. The second, to educate and inform citizens and groups about the effectiveness of the Giant Salvinia Weevil.

Learn about weevils and how they can effectively control giant salvinia on Caddo Lake.

In August, 2013, Ted and Stella Barrow of Caddo Lake made the first of (hopefully) many weevil-stocking trips to south Louisiana, where they harvested Giant Salvinia containing the salvinia-eating weevil. With only a handful of volunteers, they harvested the weevils,loaded them into 35 totes, and transported them safely through the night to a new home on Caddo, where they are happily eating through local salvinia at a pleasing rate.