Abstract: The Lee County Hyacinth Control District (LCHCD) manages aquatic vegetation on all public waterbodies in Lee county Florida, including the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries. Aquatic vegetation management serves a critical role in southwest Florida by maintaining navigation channels for recreational access, ensuring proper drainage at flood control structures, and reducing populations of invasive vegetation which thrive in Florida’s subtropical environment and can serve as breeding sites for mosquitoes. Recently, LCHCD has joined efforts with the Lee County Mosquito Control District (LCMCD) to target mosquito breeding hot spots throughout the county utilizing the latest control technologies. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones, allows LCHCD to target mosquito-breeding aquatic vegetation such as water lettuce, cattail, and water hyacinth in areas that have been historically difficult to treat or inaccessible by standard conventional means. As technology improves, drones have the potential to revolutionize the way in which we access, target, and treat aquatic vegetation and mosquito populations.
