Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crews worked tirelessly all weekend responding to the discovery of the invasive aquatic plant giant salvinia near the White Cliffs Public Use Area on the Little River, a major tributary entering Millwood Lake.
“After being called on Friday by a local angler using the ramp at the White Cliffs Campground, we sent out our rapid response team to confirm the sighting, assess the situation, and begin containing the spread,” said Matt Horton, AGFC Aquatic Nuisance Species Coordinator. “We initially contained a 300-foot section of shoreline at the campground where the infestation likely originated. However, subsequent surveys found the plant had spread, and we expanded containment booms to cover 1,900 feet of shoreline around the boat ramp.”
AGFC and USACE personnel physically removed as much salvinia as possible near the campground and ramp, hauling more than 900 pounds of the invasive plant to dry ground for proper disposal…