Join us for the final seminar of our Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) seminar series with Daniel Lager on October 23rd from 3:30-4:30pm.  In 2016, community members reported an increasing population of the invasive water fern Salvinia molesta on the Kilauea River.  (This is the same plant that covered Lake Wilson on Oahu in 2003.)  The DAR Aquatic Invasive Species Team has since determined island-wide stream distributions on Kaua‘i by successfully employing a new sampling method, environmental DNA (eDNA).  This method detects S. molesta using filtered stream water samples which are processed at a genetics lab to determine if any S. molesta DNA is present.  Visual surveys have shown that the S. molesta population are diminished during flooding caused by heavy rain events.  This information can be used to target the timing of control efforts to maximize their effectiveness.