By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

Community leaders, fishermen and area promoters are asking wildlife conservationists to increase their efforts to kill an invasive aquatic plant that clogs waterways and kills indigenous species despite the plant aiding an endangered native bird.

A public meeting on the issue will be Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Osceola County Commission Chambers in the Administrative Building at 1 Courthouse Square in Kissimmee. Representatives from FWC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will present information about the upcoming hydrilla treatment plan.

Hydrilla is a weed-like vine that grows up and across a lake’s surface forming a dense mat. The fast-growing hydrilla impedes water flow and can encourage flooding. If uncontrolled, the plant could also destroy fish and wildlife habitat by blocking sunlight from entering the water and it can limit access to waterways by clogging boat motors.

Snail kites, a bird of prey found only in Florida in North America, exclusively eat apple snails, which sit atop hydrilla.

Professional angler Terry Segraves said access in certain areas is already limited due to the plant.

“It's a long-term impact,” Segraves said. “Continual maintenance is important to keep access. If you let it get too far out of line, not only will it effect our way of life but the money the lake generates.”

Mike Horner, president of the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce, also is concerned about the potential job losses to an area currently rocked with a 12.7 percent unemployment rate.

“This lake has a direct $2.2 million economic impact and provides hundreds of jobs in Osceola County,” Horner said. “FWC is proposing a two-year experiment on our lake to see if more hydrilla will result in more snail kites. Our community can ill afford this job-killing experiment.”

Conservation groups are sensitive to money made off Lake Tohopekaliga in fishing tournaments and acknowledge some anglers and tournaments may go to other lakes but Dennis David, FWC regional director, also is concerned about the bird's longevity.

According to David, the snail kite has migrated to the lake for decades due to drought and flooding in Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. The bird's population has increasingly grown at Lake Tohopekaliga since 2005. The snail kite population has declined 75 percent in the past 20 years and the bird has an 80 percent chance of extinction in the next decade, David said.

“This is their last stand right now,” he said. “In areas where they've had access to the snails, they've thrived.”

David also stressed the decrease in acres being treated is not about funding or other economic factors.

“Funding is not a limiting factor here,” he said. “The selection of granule herbicide is more expensive per acre (than the liquid herbicide used last year).”

David said the treatment will create cleared pockets for fishing and that his and other agencies worked for decades to cultivate Lake Tohopekaliga to make it a “premier destination.”

“We’re not trying to have Lake Toho be the only kite population in Florida. They will go extinct if we do,” David said.

FWC and USFWS began its hydrilla control efforts in 2008, when too much of the plant remained after treatment. In early 2009, too little hydrilla remained in snail kite nesting areas, making it difficult for the bird to raise its young. Last winter, due to the severity of the cold weather combined with the hydrilla treatment, too much of the plant was killed to benefit the birds.

This winter, the hydrilla treatment efforts will be concentrated in high flood areas and where the plant restricts access at public boat ramps and in high-traffic boat channels, according to the FWC.