Why not follow up our post from a few weeks ago with yet another example of the irrational fears of herbicide use, this time in an aquatic setting. Around the same time as our blog posting, "The Responsibility of PFPs.....", we saw yet another case of the general public and their intense fear of things that they don't necessarily understand. Treatment of nuisance aquatic plant species in Buckley Dunton Reservoir in Becket, MA have lead to claims of an "ecological crime" which led to the "sterilization of life" in said Reservoir. The Berkshire Eagle brought us the breaking news on October 10th...
Monday, November 17, 2014
Friday, November 7, 2014
Regulatory Update: EPA News and Pesticide Update
It's been a while since we've had a regulatory update! For those who are interested, see below some of the latest from the EPA:
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
The Responsibilities of PFPs (Pesticide Fearing People) and the Pesticide Industry
"You do ill if you praise, but worse if you censure, what you do not understand". This popular quote from Leonardo Da Vinci is almost always the first thing that pops into my head when I see an article such as that which came across the Star Press last Friday. The title reads simply "BSU cancels herbicide spraying at Burris" but reading on, the quote from above continues to reveal it's truth, over... and over... and over. Before we get to deep, a little background for the reader first. Ball State University is in Muncie,
IN. The "Burris" Laboratory discussed in the article is a part of their Teacher's College which serves K-12th grade students and University teaching majors who use the laboratory to learn teaching skills. We all caught up now? Well let us proceed....
In short, a petition brought forth by the parents of students attending Ball State has led to the cancellation of weed management activities on the University's campus. This is the second
year in which weed management has come under pressure, as last year's activities were briefly halted until the outgoing university president deemed the management activities safe. This year, however, weed management activities at Burris caused the parents of those attending BSU (remember, not the majority of which even spend time at Burris) to file petition, stopping any further activities. As a result, University personnel now cite a
severe weed problem that is affecting the aesthetic value of the campus, not to mention attracting numerous stinging insects.....


Thursday, September 18, 2014
Plant Profile - ALGAE!!!
Its almost not fair to this group of plants to try and lump them all into one post, but we are going to try anyway! Algae are quite possible the most diverse and widespread of our aquatic plants being found in salt, brackish, and freshwaters worldwide. Although considered "simple" in their cellular structure (made up of only one cell!), algae are some of the most important organisms on this entire planet! Did you know that algae provide the base of MANY aquatic (and even terrestrial) food chains supporting organisms all the way up the chain, even whales! If thats not enough, algae produce between 40-50% of the oxygen that we breathe through the simple energy making plant process of photosynthesis! Becoming a little more accepting of the algae group now aren't we?!?
Monday, September 8, 2014
Management Minute - Six Steps to Developing A Management Plan
Aquatic invasive plants can be a MAJOR headache for resource managers, homeowners, recreational users, government officials, and many others. So YOU'VE got invasive or nuisance aquatic plants in your lake, pond, river, bath tub, etc..... what next? The nature of the problem might lead one to believe that there might be a universal, one sized fits all approach to management of aquatic plants.... but that couldn't be further from the truth. Read on and we'll tell you the appropriate steps to tackle some of the toughest jobs in aquatic plant management.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Events Update - August through December 2014
Happy Monday Everyone!
Its time for another Events Update: Conferences, symposiums, workshops, and the like are a way for us all
to network, share our research or products, as well as learn a thing or
two along the way. These
meetings foster professional relationships, collaboration, and
strengthen our science as a whole. Check out our blog on "Conference Season" to learn more of why you should consider attending a professional meeting, workshop, etc. We hope you'll take advantage of these opportunities to learn
more about various aspects of the aquatic sciences..... both near and
far! Click "Find out more" to get more information about each.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
A look at "Back from the Brink" - Hard Science or Lopsided Observation?
![]() |
Photo Credit: NCSU AWCP |
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Industry Update - Summer 2014
Every so often we bring you updates from our industry. Check out some of the things that are going on across the nation!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Management Minute - Research continues to investigate the "growing" problem in Santee Cooper System
Photo Credit - NCSU AWCP |
Thursday, June 19, 2014
"Plant" Profile - Lyngbya
We are definitely working our way into the heat of summer here at AERF. Those in the business of aquatic plant management as well as those who just enjoy the water, often deal with the usual invasive culprits like Hydrilla, Eurasian Water Milfoil, and Water hyacinth during the time of year. Another invader, however, might not be as well-known, especially by those of us who recreate this time of year. Our plant profile this week isn't really even a plant at all, but rather a cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). This blue-green usually rears it's ugly head in the heat of summer and can have even more severe impacts than its well known invasive plant counterparts.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Plant Profile - Phragmites
Invasive plant species can become a "giant" problem for resource managers. One true "giant", as far as invasive wetland and aquatic plants go, can be found on EVERY continent except Antarctica and is found highly invasive throughout North America. This particular plant has two native varieties which occur in various parts of the United States, however a very similar invader variety from Europe can be found throughout much of the same territory and cause a variety of problems. Its scientific name alone means "southern plant with fence-like growth"....
Friday, May 23, 2014
"Treatment" Season - Aquatic Herbicide Application Do's and Don'ts
![]() |
Photo Credit - UF - IFAS |
Friday, May 9, 2014
Industry Update: EPA News, Pesticide Update, New Publication on AIS
Happy Friday everyone! We leave you this week with the latest in industry news and happenings. If you have news you would like featured in our Industry Update, please email to bmhartis@ncsu,edu. Stay tuned next week for more of the latest in aquatic plant management, science, and innovation!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Management Minute: The GRASS Carp
![]() |
Photo credit: Michigan State University Extension |
Friday, April 25, 2014
Feature Focus Friday - Zombie Coots and Dead Bald Eagles, UGA's Wilde Lab Investigates
Happy Friday All! Its time for another Feature Focus Friday! This week we leave you with deadly disease, zombie birds, and invasive plants!.... Seem Interesting? Well then read ahead to learn more!
Friday, April 18, 2014
Plant Profile - Eurasian Watermilfoil
Another "whirlwind" week for us here at AERF attending conferences, trainings, etc. A few weeks ago we introduced our "Plant Profile" portion of the Blog. This week we leave you with a Plant Profile of "whirl"wind of a plant, Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM). This extremely problematic submersed species began it's spread in the United States during the 1940s and hasn't slowed down since.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Regulatory Update: More from EPA
To keep you up to date on the latest in regulatory news, changes, and information we bring you industry and regulatory updates. Today we bring you the latest stories from EPA and associated programs. For more information on each story, click "read more" after each story.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
"Conference Season" - The value of attending a professional conference in the aquatic sciences
![]() |
2015 NEAPMS Conference. Photo Credit: Gideon Putnam Resort |
Friday, March 28, 2014
Plant Profile - Hydrilla
It sure has been a busy week for us here at AERF! As a result, our blog has been rather quiet, however we hope to leave you with something special for the weekend. Often you will see us reference different plants in our facebook, twitter, and blog postings. You may, more often than not, find yourself scratching your head as to what exact plant we are actually talking about. To give our readers a little more background into the plants we so often discuss, we bring you the AERF Update's "Plant Profile" section.
It only seems appropriate that we have our first "Plant Profile" feature one of the the most prevalent and problematic aquatic invasive plant species in the world! Hydrilla (H. verticillata) is by far one of the most well known submersed invasive plant species which can have both deleterious environmental and economic effects. For starters, let’s talk about how exactly Hydrilla found it's way into United States and
what makes it such a problem for our nations water bodies.
A single hydrilla plant. Photo Credit: NCSU |
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
AERF Spotlight - The State of Minnesota
![]() |
MN DNR inspector and K-9 Photo Credit: MN DNR |
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Industry Update: B.A.S.S. Conservation Summit, Waters Advocacy, EPA, and GM Crop Ban
AERF and APMS at The B.A.S.S. Conservation Summit

By all accounts the 2014 B.A.S.S. Conservation Summit was a big success. The three day summit had 95 attendees including state Conservation Directors from 29 B.A.S.S. Nations, representatives from 31 different state and federal resources management agencies, and more than a dozen NGO, University and Industry partners.
By all accounts the 2014 B.A.S.S. Conservation Summit was a big success. The three day summit had 95 attendees including state Conservation Directors from 29 B.A.S.S. Nations, representatives from 31 different state and federal resources management agencies, and more than a dozen NGO, University and Industry partners.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Management Minute - Aquatic Plant Management Options
Hydrilla infested waterbody in North Carolina. Photo Credit: NCSU |
Friday, March 7, 2014
Feature Focus Friday: AERF B.A.S.S. Pro Jeff Holland
![]() |
Jeff Holland |
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
AERF Spotlight - Representative Eric Anderson of Idaho
Happy Tuesday everyone! We here at AERF would like to being putting the "spotlight" on individuals doing great things in aquatic science, invasive species management, and habitat restoration. This week, with our inaugural AERF spotlight, we would like to recognize a great friend and supporter of AERF, Representative Eric Anderson of Idaho.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Events Update: March - July 2014

Friday, February 14, 2014
Regulatory Update
Happy Friday everyone and thank you for reading the AERF's Aquatics Update! Many of our members are likely snowed in today, so we hope you'll take this time to have a look at our regulatory update. Today, we will be focusing on Pesticide Updates from the EPA. Here are the most recent updates.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Management Minute: The Florida FWC Aquatic Plant Control Program
Friday, February 7, 2014
Feature Focus Friday: Creating Aquatic Habitat in Southeastern Reservoirs

Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Why a Career in Aquatic Plant Management?

Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)