What changes have been made recently to hydrilla control on Lake Toho to help with the endangered snail kite population?
In the past two years, the FWC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have changed how hydrilla is controlled on Lake Toho to eliminate impacts to snail kites. This new approach involves letting some hydrilla grow where large numbers of kite nests usually occur and conducting hydrilla control in other areas in the late fall/early winter instead of the spring. This approach was not very successful during the first attempt in the winter of 2008-2009, and too little hydrilla remained around kite nesting areas during the early spring months of 2009. To ensure that hydrilla would be available near kite nesting areas during 2010, a more conservative hydrilla-control approach was taken in the winter of 2009-2010. However, severe cold weather brought complications, and hydrilla was killed back throughout the lake, including the important kite nesting areas.
