Please come and help us to get rid of this horrible weed.
John Althouse and Suzanne Ulbrich of the Jacksonville Daily News will have pictures and a
story about this experiment shortly. Please look for it.
We are trying to eradicate this noxious weed in this lovely creek.
This section of Southwest Creek is in Camp Lejeune, NC.
For years many attempts have been made to do this. Chemical sprays have been used
to kill it and flea beetles have been introduced to eat it. These methods have been used
successfully in Florida.
Unfortunately not so here in North Carolina as you can see by what follows. Now we
have found a natural way to eradicate alligator weed here.
Our hard freezes kill it down to the water level every winter. The river current carries
tons of the roots living below the water surface downstream to to die in salt water.
It will not live in salt water.
So, for the past three weeks our paddle trips have used natures help and aided it
further by nudging what roots are hung up on the shore line out into the river to float
downstream to its death in salt water.
We know this is true as the very first evidence of a mass of roots was found just above
the road leading from Perimeter Road down to Southwest Creek. There is a large concrete
barrier at the end of this road at the river.
See map (hybrid) at: (the roads shows up in white) Thanks to Ed Gruca.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=860159
On one trip we removed many large bio-masses of alligator above this point
by nudging them back into the current with our paddles, rakes and brooms and
what ever works. We think a gas or battery powered electric blower would do it
once it is removed and is free of what ever is holding up its downstream progress.
We love this new method as it is all natural and requires no chemicals or
introduction of foreign bugs.
The first picture below shows a solid mass of floating alligator weed roots stopped in its natural downstream progress by the railroad
bridge supports.Those are our shadows and the shadow of the bridge railing. When we got
down on the water in our canoe we discovered the pilings for the old
bridge were cut off at water level. These are located between the new pilings. They
add greatly to the difficulty of moving the alligator weeds downstream
where all this mass would have gone to be killed by salt water before it reached the Maple
Landing area.
These old pilings need to be removed to allow the free flow of the
river. Three sections are further blocked by floating logs trapped
because of them. These under water old pilings are also a serious hazard to boats.
These are parts of this bio-mass which we moved through the bridge. In the afternoon Scott
Brown scouted downstream to check on their progress. The larger globs
were 3/10ths of a mile downstream and smaller pieces were one half mile.
Another view of the stuff on its way to die in salt water.
A long distance view of it from the bridge.
The same again.
This is a view from the bridge from the west side of the island.
Yes a lot of it was trapped over there too in places.
Four jets on their way to Florida.
Going, going, gone! That on the left is and was hung up along the shore. It needs to be
gently nudged back into the river flow. .
This is looking down on the west side at lunch time. That is the island on the right. As it
worked out, we cleared the west side in the morning and the east side in
the afternoon.
Isn’t it beautiful with the alligator weed gone! It all would be gone if it
weren’t for the bridge and especially those old submerged cut-off pilings.
We are planning a return visit to get all trapped alligator weed from the
railroad bridge down to its normal death in salt water.
This will take place on Monday, December 15, 2008. We will meet at 9:30 in
the Food Lion parking lot on Rte 17 South of Jacksonville. This is opposite the
Main Gate to the Marine Corps Air Base.
Those with canoes and kayaks and small light Jon Boats can launch at the railroad
bridge. Motor boaters can launch wherever they usually do and look for alligator
root masses along the shore on either side and all of the myriad of of delta like
waterways existing here.
All one needs to do is to nudge them off the shore into the current of the river.
A light garden rake or your paddle will do it.
We can sponsor all needing passes for their vehicle to get on the base. You will
need your registration and a separate further evidence of current insurance.
We need all you fishermen to help us. Please join us. If you are going fishing here
Saturday or Sunday take a rake with you and pull any clumps of alligator weed roots
out into the river to float freely on their way to certain death!
Weather Monday is sunny and middle 60s. Come and enjoy it on the water with us!
All are invited, especially those concerned about this invasive water weed taking over
our waters. Come see for yourselves. Thanks, Elmer
Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of The White Oak River Basin
101 River Reach Drive West,
Swansboro, NC. 28584
910-389-4588 e-mail: elmer@whiteoakstewards.org
Please visit our website: http://www.whiteoakstewards.org/
“If no one litters, there will be no litter!”
