Bienville


Polanisia erosa

Polanisia erosa
Polanisia erosa
Class: 
Dicotyledons
Family: 
Capparaceae
Scientific Name: 

Polanisia erosa

Common Name: 
Large Clammy-weed
GRANK: 
G5
SRANK: 
S2

Streptanthus hyacinthoides

Streptanthus hyacinthoides
Streptanthus hyacinthoides
Streptanthus hyacinthoides
Class: 
Dicotyledons
Family: 
Brassicaceae
Scientific Name: 

Streptanthus hyacinthoides

Common Name: 
Smooth Twistflower
GRANK: 
G4
SRANK: 
S2

Amsonia ludoviciana

Amsonia ludoviciana
Amsonia ludoviciana
Amsonia ludoviciana
Class: 
Dicotyledons
Family: 
Apocynaceae
Scientific Name: 

Amsonia ludoviciana

Common Name: 
Louisiana Blue Star
GRANK: 
G3
SRANK: 
S3

Taenidia integerrima

Taenidia integerrima
Taenidia integerrima
Taenidia integerrima
Class: 
Dicotyledons
Family: 
Apiaceae
Scientific Name: 

Taenidia integerrima

Common Name: 
Yellow Pimpernell
GRANK: 
G5
SRANK: 
S2

Selaginella arenicola ssp. riddellii

Selaginella arenicola ssp. riddellii
Selaginella arenicola ssp. riddellii
Class: 
Ferns and Fern Allies
Family: 
Selaginellaceae
Scientific Name: 

Selaginella arenicola ssp. riddellii

Common Name: 
Riddell's Spike Moss
GRANK: 
G4T4
SRANK: 
S3

Dryopteris ludoviciana

Dryopteris ludoviciana
Dryopteris ludoviciana
application/pdf iconDryopteris ludoviciana
Class: 
Ferns and Fern Allies
Family: 
Dryopteridaceae
Scientific Name: 

Dryopteris ludoviciana

Common Name: 
Southern Shield Wood-fern
GRANK: 
G4
SRANK: 
S2

Kepler Creek Lake

Acreage: 
1,721 Acres

Lake Bistineau

Giant salvinia weevils may serve as a biological control tool in Lake Bistineau.
A cluster of giant salvinia with an adult weevil.
Untreated, growing giant salvinia inhabiting shallow forested areas of Lake Bistineau.
Giant salvinia that is dying following an herbicide spray treatment.
A cluster of healthy giant salvinia.
LDWF personnel spraying an herbicide treatment on giant salvinia growing along a developed shoreline.
An Enclosure containing weevil infested giant salvinia.
  • What is giant salvinia?
    Giant salvinia is a free-floating aquatic fern native to Brazil. It was brought into the U.S. by the aquarium and water garden industry.
     
  • How fast does giant salvinia grow?
    This plant has the potential to double in biomass every 3-5 days. On Lake Bistineau, the plant is growing at a tremendous rate, doubling every week to 10 days during the prime growing season.
     
  • When was giant salvinia first discovered in Lake Bistineau?
    The invasive aquatic plant giant salvinia was discovered on Lake Bistineau in February of 2006.
     
  • How did giant salvinia get into Lake Bistineau?
    Giant salvinia was likely transported to Lake Bistineau on one or more boat trailers sometime during the 2005 drawdown.
     
  • Is this the only lake with this problem?
    No. Giant salvinia has been found in nearly every public water body in northwest Louisiana and continues to spread to other areas of the state.
     
  • Why can’t you simply spray it and kill all of it?
    Giant salvinia is very difficult to control with foliar herbicide applications because the leaves have specialized hairs that are very efficient at keeping water off the leaf making it very difficult for herbicides to be absorbed by the plant.
     
  • Why don’t you spray it from the air?
    LDWF has a contract for aerial herbicide applications but there is a fairly long lead-time in letting the contract and arranging for an application to be made. At times, large mats of giant salvinia can be found in open water areas of the lake that would be suitable for aerial applications. However, when the wind changes the salvinia is blown to other areas of the lake where the cypress canopy or adjacent inhabited shorelines do not allow for aerial applications.
     
  • Why don’t you put grass carp in the lake and let them eat it all of it?
    Giant salvinia is not considered a preferred diet choice for grass carp.
     
  • Did last year’s drawdown do any good?  The lake is just as bad now as it was last summer in front of my house.
    There were approximately 4,500 acres of giant salvinia on Lake Bistineau prior to the July 15, 2008, start of the drawdown.  In conjunction with ongoing herbicide applications, dewatering the lake and allowing the giant salvinia to dry and desiccate had reduced the salvinia to approximately 850 acres in mid-March of 2009. This reduction in acreage was short-lived as heavy rains and a resulting rise in lake level beginning in May 2009, flushed large quantities of salvinia down to the lower end of the lake. With warming temperatures the salvinia began growing very prolifically, causing problems in these areas including boating and fishing access and aesthetics issues for shoreline property owners. 
     
  • Why don’t you just drain the lake and leave it down for a couple of years?
    With the drawdown structure that is currently in place, the maximum drawdown capability of Lake Bistineau is seven feet below normal pool stage.  A drawdown to this level reduces the surface acreage at pool stage by approximately half.  Giant salvinia continues to grow in the remaining water, much of which is extremely difficult to access by boat for herbicide applications.  Lake Bistineau also has a very large watershed and is not likely to remain in a drawdown condition during rainy periods.
     
  • Why don’t you figure out some beneficial use for giant salvinia so people will want to extract it out of the lake?
    Currently, there is no known use for giant salvinia that is economically feasible. 
     
  • What about the weevils (bugs) that are supposed to eat the giant salvinia?
    Salvinia weevils were introduced into two enclosures on the lake in August of 2007.  The weevils survived their first winter and their populations increased in the enclosures.  Additional weevil infested salvinia was stocked in Lake Bistineau in October of 2008 from nursery ponds near Gheens.  A major weevil stocking effort in Lake Bistineau began on June 15, 2009.  During the two-week stocking effort, over 78,000 lbs. of giant salvinia infested with over 1.8 million adult weevils was relocated from LSU’s rearing facility located near Gheens to Lake Bistineau. 
     
  • Will the spray hurt the weevils?
    The areas where the weevils have been stocked are not targeted for herbicide applications. The goal is to allow the weevils to reproduce and spread throughout the lake.
     
  • Is it safe to use the lake water for irrigation purposes?
    Some of the herbicides being used by LDWF spray crews or private contractors have water-use restrictions.  Diquat, which is used in some of the foliar herbicide applications, has a 5-day restriction for irrigation purposes.  Water treated with Galleon herbicide can be used for irrigation of turf grass at levels under 30 PPB but should not be used to water food crops (vegetable gardens) or ornamentals at levels in excess of 1 PPB.  It depends on where on the lake your water intake is located and when herbicide applications have been made in the area.  Please contact the District 1 Office for more information at 318-371-3050.
     
  • Why don’t you use a mechanical harvester like the ones they have in Texas?
    Mechanical harvest and removal of giant salvinia is very expensive and labor intensive.  Even the best harvesters can only harvest a couple of acres a day.
  • Why would the department not consider using salt to treat giant salvinia in Lake Bistineau?
    Salt will indeed kill giant salvinia at 10 ppt. However, salt will kill bald cypress at 3 - 4 ppt. To obtain 10 ppt saltwater in Lake Bistineau it would take 4,186,663,988 pounds of salt. Therefore, salt is not a reasonable solution.
  • Why were the Galleon herbicide treatments curtailed in Lake Bistineau?
    Galleon was used to treat giant salvinia at seven sites on an experimental basis. Tests revealed that Galleon rapidly diffused away from six of the seven sites and was essentially ineffective at those sites. Based on theses test results, and in consideration of the approaching drawdown, Galleon treatments were curtailed. Galleon treatments may be considered for use in some locations during the drawdown.
     
  • Will Lake Bistineau be closed to recreational fishing activities during the drawdown?
    No, these activities do not negatively impact the resources there.

For more information, contact: Evan Thames at 318-371-5216 or ethames@wlf.la.gov.

Loggy Bayou WMA

Information
Owned: 
LDWF, USACOE
Acreage: 
6,381 Acres
Contact
Email: 
jjohnson@wlf.la.gov
Phone: 
(318) 371-3050
Hunting Regulations: 
Hunting Regulations
Changes to 2012-2013 Deer Season
Map: 
application/pdf iconloggybayou.pdf

Loggy Bayou Wildlife Management Area is located in the southern most part of Bossier Parish and consists of 6,381 acres. It is owned Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana State Land Office. The area lies approximately 20 miles southeast of Bossier City. Main access into the northern portion of the area if off of Louisiana Highway 154 just east of Lake Bistineau and into the southern portion from U. S. Highway 71. The Department maintains one all-weather road and a series of ATV trails through interior of the area.

Loggy Bayou WMA lies between Loggy and Red Chute Bayous and Lake Bistineau in the Red River Alluvial Valley of northwestern Louisiana. The area is one of the few remaining bottomland, hardwood areas remaining in northwest Louisiana. The terrain is flat with approximately 90 percent of the area being subject to annual flooding from backwaters of the Red River.

The original land purchased consisted of approximately half over-grazed cattle pasture and half severely over-grazed, poor quality, bottomland forest. Wildlife Division personnel recognized the need for improving the forest component of the area. In response to the need several hundred acres of agricultural fields were planted in the early 1970's and 1980's in preferred oak species. As a result of their foresight and efforts the seedlings planted over two decades ago are now producing quality hardwood mast and shelter for the expanding squirrel and turkey populations and other wildlife now utilizing the area.

Dominant tree species are hackberry, ash, elm, honey locust. native wild pecan, overcup, water, willow and Nuttall oak. The latter four species are not in abundance but are sparsely scattered throughout the forest area. Several hundred acres of the open fields have been planted in native pecan, Nuttall, water and cherrybark oak seedlings. Underplanting of the same seedlings has been done in the forested areas. The understory consists of red haws, rattan, trumpet vine and dewberry. In the field areas poison ivy, vetch and fescue predominate along with hardwood and honey locust spouts. Annually, approximately 50 acres are either fallow disked or planted in annual supplemental food plots.

White-tailed deer, squirrel, rabbits and raccoon hunting opportunities are available on the area. Archery hunting for white-tailed deer is the featured activity with a limited amount of modern firearm and muzzleloader hunting permitted. Pope and Young quality deer are common on the area. Waterfowl hunting is featured in the 110 acres greentree reservoir and on the numerous sloughs, beaver ponds and backwater areas. Hunting for eastern wild turkey is limited to lottery only. Trapping for raccoon, beaver, mink, coyote, and other furbears is allowed and encouraged.

 

Sport and commercial fishing is permitted on the area with fishermen concentrating their efforts on catfish, gar, buffalo and carp in Loggy and Red Chute Bayous. Bass and several species of bream can also be found in the bayous. One improved boat ramp is located on the southern portion of the area on Loggy Bayou.

The area is open to bird watchers and nature study groups. Overnight camping is allowed throughout the entire year on designated camping areas.

Additional information may be obtained from the LDWF, Wildlife Division, 1401 Talton St., Minden, LA 71055. Phone (318) 371-3050.

Jackson Bienville WMA

Information
Owned: 
Weyerhaeuser Company
Acreage: 
25,089 Acres
Contact
Email: 
jjohnson@wlf.la.gov
Phone: 
(318) 371-3050
Hunting Regulations: 
Hunting Regulations
Changes to 2012-2013 Deer Season
Map: 
application/pdf iconjacksonbienville.pdf

Jackson Bienville Wildlife Management Area is located in Bienville, Jackson and Lincoln parishes, 12 miles south of Ruston in North Central Louisiana. Numerous access routes are available for entering the area with the major access being U. S. Highway 167 and Louisiana Highway 147. Jackson Bienville is comprised of 25,089 acres of forestland owned by Weyerhaeuser.  There is an extensive system of gravel roads that is available for use by the public. Limited ATV use is allowed on marked ATV trails.

The terrain on Jackson Bienville WMA is primarily gently rolling hills bordering Dugdemona River and five intermittent streams. Approximately 10 to 20 percent of the area can be considered bottomland. Weyerhaeuser intensively manages the area for timber. Habitat is highly diverse due to the varying timber harvest schedule, the interspersion of the hardwood areas, and over 33 miles of utilities rights-of-ways. Adding to the diversity is the substantial acreage Weyerhaeuser has committed to providing nesting and feeding habitat for numerous colonies of red-cockaded woodpeckers, a federally endangered species. Major habitat improvements are derived from a prescribed burning program conducted by Weyerhaeuser associated with their management for red-cockaded woodpeckers.

Forest cover is predominantly pine, except in the bottomland regions where water, willow, overcup, and cow oak, sweet and black gum, beech, and various other species of hardwoods dominate.

Understory vegetation, which is dense, consists of a variety of shrubs, vines, and annuals. Species comprising the understory area are French mulberry, hackberry, dogwood, honeysuckle, grape, muscadine, maple, sweetleaf, wax myrtle, blue beech, beggarweed, and greenbriar.

White-tailed deer, eastern wild turkeys, bobwhite quail, squirrels, and rabbits, are the major species hunted on the area. Limited hunting opportunities for woodcock, dove and waterfowl can also be found. Substantial success has been made to improve the habitat for bobwhite quail and eastern wild turkey with noticeable increases in those populations being seen. Trapping for furbearers is allowed.

Due to the diversified habitat on the area numerous resident and migratory species of birds use the area. Wildlife viewing is a major activity and easily enjoyed from the extensive road system and intersecting rights-of-ways. Camping areas are privately operated and located along Louisiana Highway 147.

Additional information may be obtained from the LDWF, Wildlife Division, 9961 Hwy. 80, Minden, LA 71055. Phone (318) 371-3050.

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