Neighbors met on the Lafitte Street end of Bayou St. John at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 9, 2019

Giant Salvinia, to use the local vernacular, “ain’t no joke”.   

Introduced in Bayou St. John just two weeks ago, the invasive species has covered much of Bayou St. John.   People began to notice large patches of growth that seemed to grow overnight.   That’s not an exaggeration as a single plant of Giant Salvinia can multiply 3 times in just one day.

As you can see in Gary Parky’s photo, Giant Salvinia is quickly taking over Bayou St. John.

Giant Salvinia is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately!

On February 9, 2019, neighbors are gathered to remove Giant Salvinia.

This must be done immediately and is a “all hands on deck” moment.

Federal, State, and Local agencies have already had meetings about this and are arranging to take action. For many agencies to come together about one issue so quickly emphasizes the importance of everyone working together to remove Giant Salvinia from Bayou St. John.  The first step is physical removal of the plants.   Government agencies will be taking action but coordination takes time and Giant Salvinia waits for no man!

So, please, make plans now to meet your neighbors at the Lafitte Street end of Bayou St. John this Saturday morning, February 9, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.   Let’s use pitchforks, pickup trucks, and people to show Giant Salvinia what we can do!