Polk Small Farms: complete a survey on Hydrilla

Friday, June 10, 2011

complete a survey on Hydrilla

UF_IFAS_Extension

Contact: Ken Gioeli, (772) 462-1660

Released: June 1, 2011

PRESS RELEASE

HYDRILLA IPM PROJECT SURVEY

The UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department in conjunction with the St Lucie, Osceola and Citrus County Extension offices and Florida A&M University is seeking input from Florida residents on an invasive aquatic plant: Hydrilla verticillata. Interested citizens can complete our online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/hydrilla Our goal is to survey residents who frequent Florida fresh water bodies for recreation or work. Even if you don’t manage Florida waters, citizen input is important! This survey is being conducted as a part of a needs assessment for a joint research and extension project. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

Your participation is voluntary. You do not have to answer any question that you do not wish to answer. Your responses will help us find out what we can do to develop effective educational tools. The survey will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete.

We will keep your answers confidential to the extent provided by law. Your name and the contact information you choose to provide will not be used in any report or shared with others outside the scope of this project. We will only use your answers after they have been combined with the other respondents’ answers.

Hydrilla verticillata (a.k.a. hydrilla) is an invasive freshwater plant common in Florida. It probably arrived in Florida as an aquarium plant in the late 1950s. By the 1970s, it was established throughout Florida. If left unmanaged, hydrilla is capable of creating damaging infestations which can choke out native plants, clog flood control structures (which can lead to flooding), and impede waterway navigation and recreational usage. In addition, hydrilla is showing resistance to fluridone, a systemic herbicide used to manage it for the past 20 years. According to the UF / IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, millions of dollars are spent annually on herbicides and mechanical harvesters in Florida in an effort to manage hydrilla.

If you have any questions, please email Ken Gioeli at ktgioeil@ufl.edu or Dr. Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman at gillett@ufl.edu.

All programs and related activities sponsored for, or assisted by, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are open to all persons without discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations. Florida Cooperative Extension Service/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences/University of Florida/Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean and Director for Extension.

We believe that there are no risks to you from participating in this study. There also are no direct benefits or compensation to you for participating. If you have questions about your rights, contact the UFIRB02 Office, Box 112250, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-2250; phone 392-0433. Please reference protocol # 2011-U-0450.