Tuesday, June 24, 2014

One Person Can Make a Difference

Sixth grade science project leads to breakthrough research according to an article by Brittany Shammas of the Sun Sentinel. 12 year old Lauren Arrington's research for her science fair project showed that the highly invasive lionfish can survive water with a much lower salinity than scientists had previously thought. This means that young fish in brackish waters may also be at risk of predation by the voracious lionfish.
lionfish, Pterois volitans
Image by Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
Read the entire article in the Sun Sentinel.
Remember there is a smartphone app you can use to report lionfish sightings.
Watch the lionfish app video.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Goats and Sheep Battle Invasive Plants

Blake Aued in the Flagpole, colorbearer of Athens, Georgia, tells us that the Athens-Clarke County Commission approved on June 3, 2014 a new law that will allow people inside the city limits to rent goats and sheep to help get rid of invasive plants on their property.
Photo by
Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service,
Bugwood.org
Called prescribed grazing, people in Athens will be able to rent the animals for up to 30 days to help rid their property of invasive plants. So which should you choose, a sheep or a goat?
Photo by
Whitney Cranshaw, Bugwood.org
As you can see from the images above, goats prefer to browse on woody plants like shrubs, vines and trees. Sheep generally prefer to graze on grasses and other herbaceous plants like clovers.

More information on prescribed grazing: