Lake Apopka Re-establishing Fish and Wildlife Habitat in a Highly - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

▶
lake apopka re establishing fish and wildlife habitat in
SMART_READER_LITE
LIVE PREVIEW

Lake Apopka Re-establishing Fish and Wildlife Habitat in a Highly - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Jan 25, 2023 207 likes •472 views

Lake Apopka Re-establishing Fish and Wildlife Habitat in a Highly Degraded, Hypereutrophic Water Body Bruce V. Jaggers, Ed Hayes Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission Eustis, Florida Goal Current Condition - Less than 1%

slide-1
SLIDE 1

Lake Apopka – Re-establishing Fish and Wildlife Habitat in a Highly Degraded, Hypereutrophic Water Body

Bruce V. Jaggers, Ed Hayes Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission Eustis, Florida

slide-2
SLIDE 2

Goal

  • Current Condition - Less than 1% aquatic

vegetation in lake portion of Apopka.

  • Goal – Re-establish 10% aquatic vegetation

in Lake Apopka in 10 years (Tiger Team).

slide-3
SLIDE 3

Challenges

  • Poor light penetration – secchi typically 1 foot or less.
  • Large deposits of flocculent mud.
  • Limited littoral areas – 20,000 acres of marshes cut
  • ff from lake by levees.
  • Functions as a Reservoir – 5 feet of water 50 feet

from levees at minimum desirable lake level.

  • Extreme wind fetches – Over 10 miles in distance

across the lake.

slide-4
SLIDE 4

North Shore Marshes – 20,000 Acres

slide-5
SLIDE 5

Opportunities

  • Lake Levels 2 feet below low pool

(opportunity to establish plants in ~3 feet of water).

  • Suitable substrates for planting (firm peat

deposits).

slide-6
SLIDE 6

Decision Point

  • Focus on planting spatterdock (Nuphar spp.)

and giant bulrush (Schoenoplectus californicus). Native aquatic species able to establish and survive in deeper water.

  • Establish submersed plants (SAV) behind

“wave breaks” created by initial plantings.

slide-7
SLIDE 7

Planting Scheme

slide-8
SLIDE 8

Spatterdock Planting Zones

Spatterdock

Spatterdock

slide-9
SLIDE 9

Questions

  • What methods do we use for large-scale

spatterdock plantings? Has this been done before?

  • Will plants survive and establish in Apopka?
slide-10
SLIDE 10

Evaluated Techniques (2012)

  • Bare root plants (small rhizomes).
  • Wild harvest plants (large rhizomes).
  • Nursery grown plants (UF greenhouse).
slide-11
SLIDE 11

Decision Point

  • Focus on planting wild harvest and nursery

grow-out plants (2013 & 2014).

  • Best outcome considering plant survival,

logistics and cost.

slide-12
SLIDE 12

Spring/Summer/Fall 2013

Planted 25,000 wild harvested spatterdock. Planted 10,000 nursery grow-out spatterdock. Planted 500 UF greenhouse spatterdock.

Laughlin Road Site

slide-13
SLIDE 13

Spring/2014

Planted 50,000 wild harvested spatterdock. Planted 10,000 nursery grow-out spatterdock. Planted 300 UF greenhouse spatterdock.

slide-14
SLIDE 14

Spatterdock Survival Estimates

  • Wild harvest ~60% survival.
  • Nursery grow-out ~75% survival.
  • UF greenhouse grow-out ~80% survival.
  • Total # spatterdock plants installed –

96,000

slide-15
SLIDE 15

Costs to Plant Spatterdock

  • Wild harvest - $2.58/plant.
  • Nursery grow-out - $6.80/plant.
  • UF greenhouse grow-out - ~$27.80/plant.
  • Total Spent (as of May 2014) - $327,753
slide-16
SLIDE 16

Progress Toward 10% Goal (as of May 2014)

  • ~450 acres aquatic plants (1.5% of lake)
  • Next step – test plots of SAV planted in

protected spots behind emergent plants

slide-17
SLIDE 17

Spatterdock Wild Harvest Plants

Laughlin Road Site

slide-18
SLIDE 18

Wild Harvest Methods

slide-19
SLIDE 19

Nursery Methods – Pond Grow-out

slide-20
SLIDE 20

Nursery Methods – UF Greenhouse

slide-21
SLIDE 21

Question

  • Why the difference in survival between wild

harvest plots? E.g. 30 – 85% survival in individual plots.

  • Substrate conditions and water levels

appeared to be similar between 7 plots.

slide-22
SLIDE 22

Keys To Successful Plantings

  • Large rhizomes (wild harvest plants or plants

grown out in nursery).

  • Current low water levels (below regulation

schedule).

  • Sites with suitable substrates available.
  • Nutrients available for good plant growth.
slide-23
SLIDE 23

Constraints To Successful Plantings

  • Deep water (even at water levels below regulation

schedule).

  • Poor light penetration.
  • Wind/wave energy generated on large lake (initial

plantings have survived winter storms so far).

  • Availability of plant material to transplant. Long

transport distances.

slide-24
SLIDE 24

Wild Cards

  • Water Levels/Water Storage (water levels in

planting zones 6 feet at upper end of regulation schedule).

  • Wind/wave energy generated on a 30,000 acre

water body (initial plantings have survived winter and summer storms so far).

  • Tropical storm after 1970’s effort!
  • Toxicity of some sediments?
slide-25
SLIDE 25

High Sediment Sulphides Concentrations Causing Plant Damage?

slide-26
SLIDE 26

QUESTIONS?