AUSTIN —Lake Austin is now classified as positive for invasive zebra mussels after biologists discovered them in the reservoir last week. Lake Austin is the third Central Texas reservoir where zebra mussels have been found this year, and the second in the Colorado River basin.
AUSTIN — Zebra mussels have been positively identified for the first time in Lake Travis in the Colorado River Basin in Central Texas, just weeks after biologists confirmed the aquatic invasive species had also spread to the Guadalupe River Basin.
AUSTIN – Efforts to stop aquatic invasive species from taking over Texas waterways are ramping up this spring, made possible through record funding from state lawmakers. Invaders like giant salvinia, zebra mussels and many others blanket waterways and block boating, fishing and swimming, crowd out native species, spoil rivers and lakes, and clog power plant and municipal water pipes. Experts say it’s a huge challenge, but progress is being made, and the public still has a key role to play.
AUSTIN – In 2016, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and local partners treated 3,500 acres of invasive saltcedar along 112 miles of the Upper Brazos River at no cost to landowners. This year, the group is working to expand the effort further downstream and fill in gaps in the areas that have already been treated.
AUSTIN — A coalition of government and nonprofit conservation groups is greatly expanding the war on Arundo (Arundo donax), an invasive plant that threatens to take over scenic Hill Country rivers. It’s one aspect of a broader statewide effort made possible by a record $6.3 million to control invasive aquatic species approved by the Texas Legislature for the 2016-2017 biennium, an increase from $1.1 million in the previous two-year cycle.
AUSTIN – At North Toledo Bend Wildlife Management Area, giant salvinia covers about half of the WMA’s 500-acre wetland impoundment, blocking boat access for duck hunters and keeping migrating waterfowl from food and habitat. The problem would be worse without steady work to fight back the invasive floating fern, efforts that got a boost this year by recording funding from the Texas Legislature.
AUSTIN – Government agencies are often tasked with informing people about pressing issues. Yet information has a hard time competing for attention. People like entertainment. Enter the “Lake Dudes,” animated characters created to catch the attention of boaters, hoping to stop the spread of an invasive water weed that threatens to take over Texas lakes.
AUSTIN — Bolstered by a record appropriation from the Texas Legislature, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, river authorities and other partners are stepping up the war against aquatic invasive species, including one of the most noxious pests—giant salvinia.
AUSTIN — Bolstered by record funding from the Texas Legislature, a multi-partner coalition of river authorities, cities and nonprofits is stepping up the war against invasive species, including one of the worst noxious aquatic pests—zebra mussels.
AUSTIN—Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is updating its system of classifying zebra mussel presence in lakes to better describe the level of impact and align with standards used by other state and federal agencies.