Automating the Annual LAKEWATCH Reports
Written by Florida LAKEWATCH data manager, Marina Schwartz
One of the most valuable ways LAKEWATCH can give back to our volunteers is by sharing and explaining our data. The annual report you receive each year with summarized data collected on your waterbody is the main way we share information. These reports include 3 key parts: (1) comparisons of your data with Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Numeric Nutrient Criteria; (2) a comparison of your data with the expected background nutrient concentrations based on geological zones, published by LAKEWATCH staff (Bachmann et al. 2012); and (3) long-term trends for systems with five or more years of data, including graphs and statistics.
If that sounds like a lot of work, it is! In fact, creating these valuable reports has taken an estimated 300 collective hours each year! But this year, two graduate students from the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: Amber Riner and Daniel Canfield, and LAKEWATCH Data Manager, Marina Schwartz have created a process that automates most of this work. Using the coding language R and a collaborative working environment, they were able to create a new process that allows us to print your reports with more up-to-date data throughout the year, while simultaneously enhancing our quality assurance checks.
All of this means the reports will look different this year and they will have the most recent data included. As a result, they will be printed before each Regional Meeting instead of at the beginning of each year. For now, if you would like up-to-date data or a report sooner than your annual meeting, you can reach out to either the data manager (MarinaSchwartz@ufl.edu) or your Regional Coordinator.
Amber Daniel, and Marina worked extremely hard on this project and the LAKEWATCH Program is grateful for their hard work and contribution to our program and volunteers! You can read more about Amber and Daniel here:
Amber Riner is a graduate research assistant at the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants at the University of Florida. Her research is focused on detecting invasive water hyacinth and monitoring herbicide applications with unmanned aerial systems. In addition to her graduate research Amber also serves as the president of the agronomy graduate student association and has been collaborating with LAKEWATCH to automate their lake reports. Amber is a Florida native from Orlando, Florida. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science with a minor in music and certificate in geospatial analysis from the University of Florida in 2022. She will be graduating this summer with a masters in agronomy with a concentration in geographic information systems and certificates in weed science and AI in applied smart agricultural systems. In her free time Amber loves exploring the outdoors through traveling and hiking. She also is an avid reader and enjoys making ceramics.
Daniel Canfield is a graduate research assistant at the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants at the University of Florida. His research is focused on controlling the invasive plant hydrilla. He has a bachelor's degree in geology and a master's in environmental science from Florida Gulf Coast University. He transitioned to an agronomy master's and is graduating soon. He hopes to combine science communication and programming in his future career. Daniel is also the son of LAKEWATCH founder, Dr. Dan Canfield, and grew up in Gainesville, Florida. He enjoys computer games, sci-fi shows, and exercising in his free time.
Become a Florida Friendly Angler!
This free course is open to anyone, especially anglers looking to up their game! The course teaches skills and practices that help fish and the environment, a win-win for our fisheries. You will learn about three topics essential for any angler who wants to protect fisheries and the environment.
- Best Practices for Fish Handling and Release
- Environmental Ethics for Anglers
- Introduction to Fisheries Management and Giving Back
The course is self-paced and you can take as long as you need to complete it, but why wait? In just under 2 hours, you can be a fully certified Florida Friendly Angler! You will receive a certificate and a weatherproof decal if you provide a mailing address. Share this opportunity with friends and on social media using the tag #FloridaFriendlyAngler.
Florida Friendly Angler was created through a partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, UF/IFAS Extension, and Florida Sea Grant. It is offered in English and Spanish.
UF Water Symposium, 2024
On February 20-21 the Florida LAKEWATCH team attended the UF Water Institute Symposium. This two-day event on UF’s main campus was an excellent opportunity for us to learn about other local and regional water-related research.
LAKEWATCH hosted a session that brought together groups from multiple citizen science water quality-related projects in Florida. Other highlights included:
Aquatic Hitchhikers: How long does giant salvinia survive on my boat bunk?
This blog post was written by Corrina Vuillequez, Agronomy graduate student with UF/IFAS CAIP and aquatic plant control intern for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
You might be wondering, “What if my boat has been out of the water for a week? Do I really still need to check it for giant salvinia before boating again?” Great question! Here at the UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (CAIP), we have been wondering this as well. We are currently conducting a study to investigate how long giant salvinia can survive on boat bunks, and if the boat bunk material influences moisture retention.
What is giant salvinia?
Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta), is a floating aquatic fern native to Brazil. It has a unique shape and interesting texture, making it attractive to ornamental gardeners around the world. Unfortunately, once introduced to the Southern United States it began to grow and take over lakes and ponds. This plant is known to double in less than 3 days! Not only does it grow outward, but it can also form thick, dense mats across the water’s surface. When giant salvinia starts invading an aquatic system, it outcompetes native plants both at the water’s surface and below. Its thick mats block sunlight from reaching submersed native plants, like eelgrass (Vallisneria americana), causing them to die off. This also decreases dissolved oxygen in the water column, resulting in negative impacts on fish and other aquatic fauna. Additionally, thick mats of giant salvinia impede boaters, fishermen, and swimmers from enjoying the water.
Where is it?
Giant salvinia has been reported in 13 states and is classified as a Federal Noxious Weed, meaning it is illegal to transport. It’s mainly been a problem in Texas and Louisiana, but it has recently been reported in Florida and other Southeastern states. However, since giant salvinia has not yet been established in Florida, we have the opportunity to help prevent its spread and keep our waters clear of this botanical menace.
How can boaters help?
Everyone who enjoys Florida’s lakes has an important role in maintaining the natural beauty and balance of the environment. One way boaters can help is by making sure they’re not bringing any invasive hitchhikers along for the ride between boating trips. When leaving a lake, take care to inspect the sides of the boat, the trailer, and the boat bunk itself for clinging plants, and hose them off as needed. When fishing, make sure to inspect any nets or equipment as well. This should also be done before entering a new lake. This process helps reduce the spread of giant salvinia and other invasives to new water bodies, so the native plants, animals, and people can continue to enjoy the lake!
Our Research
To do this, we set up three different “boats” on different bunks, pictured below. Each boat is actually a giant tub filled with water to add weight onto the bunk, simulating the pressure of a boat on a trailer. The bunks are made of planks covered in plastic, wood, or carpet. We place giant salvinia on top of the bunks, so they get crushed by the weight of the “boat”. We then remove and evaluate groups of salvinia at different time intervals. At these time intervals, we move giant salvinia from the bunk into “recovery tanks” to mimic them being released into a new lake. We then monitor their growth and survival over time.
This study is still ongoing, but we’ve seen interesting results so far. It looks like the plastic boat bunks slow water evaporation, and giant salvinia may be able to survive up to 8 days of being crushed by a boat on a plastic bunk! Carpet and wood can absorb moisture from the plants, drying them out faster. Plants may be able to survive up to four days of being crushed on these materials. These findings are just preliminary though, so stay tuned for updates as our results are analyzed. Overall, our study indicates that this plant is pretty durable and determined to survive transport to new water bodies.
What does this mean?
As enjoyers of Florida’s lakes, it’s especially important to be vigilant when traveling to new waters. Always check your boat for hitchhiking plants between trips. To be safe, it may also be necessary to let the boat sit out of water for a week or so after traveling to salvinia-infested waters to make sure there can be no surviving plants squished under your boat. The more we pay attention to this issue now, the less of a problem it’s likely to be in the future. With help from boaters like you, we can make sure Florida’s waters are beautiful and functional for years to come!
Visit CAIP's previous blog to learn how to Stop Those Plants! How to Prevent the Spread of Invasive, Aquatic Plants
Are you interested in more information on how to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic plants and other species? Visit Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers.
Welcome back to our newest section of the LAKEWATCH newsletter called Ask the Experts! In it, we will use our collective knowledge and enlist advice from outside experts to answer your most burning questions related to our lakes, rivers, and coastlines. So, please email your questions to lakewatch@ifas.ufl.edu and include “Ask the Experts!” in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you!
We sample Lake Whistler in Polk county. It is a small (72 acres) private lake. We have a weed control service who has removed some water lilies around the boat ramp and now wants to spray Komeen and diquat on the eel grass because it is encroaching on shallow boating areas. Eelgrass has certainly spread in the last 20yrs, now it covers almost the entire bottom. 20 yrs ago it had a mostly sandy bottom. I am concerned that continual spraying will only contribute to the ever-increasing muck on the bottom. Should I let him spray? -Jan Syvertsen
This quarter's question was initially tackled by Regional Coordinator Dan Willis, then augmented by our featured experts, Drs. Stephen Enloe and Ben Sperry.
Hi Jan, thanks for the great question. You have opened a big can of worms with this one but I will try to be brief. Eelgrass (Vallisneria americana) is a native component of submersed aquatic plant communities all across Florida. Eelgrass has many benefits. It can stabilize sediments and shorelines, sequester nutrients (TP & TN), and subsequently limit algae growth leading to clearer water. Eelgrass also provides habitat structure for many aquatic invertebrates and cover where juvenile fish can better avoid predators.
Unfortunately, eelgrass can also become aggressive and even a nuisance plant that requires management. In fact, historically, eelgrass was one of the biggest submersed vegetation management problems before hydrilla invaded Florida. On lake Whistler, you are likely observing eelgrass approaching that nuisance category if it is not already there. The aggressive increase of eelgrass cover over the last twenty years supports that idea.
Two key places eelgrass causes significant problems are in canals and around boat ramps and docks. Its extensive growth may limit boat access. Additionally, eelgrass turnover from natural leaf mortality can result in dense mats of dead floating plants, without any herbicide treatment at all. These eventually sink and may contribute to natural muck accumulation.
Regarding herbicide treatment, historic studies on aquatic plants and muck have found that herbicide treatments applied during aquatic plant maintenance control do not increase muck accumulation. In fact, maintenance control is a way to reduce muck accumulation from invasive plants by keeping their populations low and preventing the high level of leaf turnover they experience. This has recently been confirmed again for the aggressive floating plant, water hyacinth. If herbicides are applied in a reactionary manner when problems have gotten way out hand, they may potentially contribute to some muck accumulation. This is yet another reason why maintenance control is a good choice.
In terms of eelgrass, management may become necessary on Whistler if it begins to interfere with the goals set for the lake. Current options include physical or mechanical removal and herbicide treatments. Physical removal gets the plant material out of the water completely. It is effective in the short term but generally much more costly and it may be difficult to find contractors to do it. Herbicide treatments such as the one your contractor suggested are also effective and generally cheaper. However, retreatment will be required as herbicides are not a silver bullet. Given this, many aquatic managers opt for limited spot treatments directly around boat docks to prevent problems.
On a final note, there are some non-native introductions of eelgrass that have become invasive. It would be worthwhile submitting a specimen in flower to the Florida herbarium for verification of its identity to make sure this is not present in your lake.
For more information on Eelgrass: https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/vallisneria-americana/
Nancy Dunn
Bear Lake, Seminole County
Written by Florida LAKEWATCH Extension Manager, Liz Moreau
Nancy Dunn began her role as a dedicated LAKEWATCH volunteer in November of 1991 after spotting a “tiny article” in the Orlando Sentinel asking for “volunteer water monitors with boats”. She wasn’t seeking a new project or hobby but had spent her whole life fishing in Florida and had a deep appreciation for her lake, Bear Lake in Seminole County. This was her call to action. Since responding to that fateful article, Nancy has collected over 1500 samples, co-founded the Bear Lake Preservation Association, trained high school students to collect samples (and love the lake!), and advocated for Bear Lake and LAKEWATCH in countless more ways.
The Bear Lake Preservation Association (BLPA, blpa.net) is a point of pride for Nancy. Their mission is “to provide environmental and civic stewardship for the Bear Lakes watershed.” Over the years Nancy and the BLPA have worked tirelessly to preserve the water quality and biological integrity of the lake. She advocates for using research-based solutions in management and has had success using grass carp to control the invasive aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata.
Nancy’s love of her lake has turned her into a scientist: she records daily rainfall and water elevation, conducts mini experiments off her dock, works closely with the Water Management District, and emphasizes that
“We believe in doing science to figure out how to manage [the lake].”
This is music to our ears here at LAKEWATCH! We love hearing how LAKEWATCH's monitoring data and scientific research has impacted Nancy’s lake management strategies as much as we love her dedication.
Thank you for everything you do Nancy!
Warmouth
Scientific name: Lepomis gulosus
Written by Regional Coordinator, Dan Willis
Warmouth is a robust, deep bodied fish with a large mouth. It has reddish eyes with 3-5 dark lines that extend from the eye to across the cheek or gill flap. They are dark with mottled brown coloration and the belly tends to be yellow or golden in color. They also have a small patch of teeth on the top of the tongue.
Studies have shown that Warmouth are associated with lots of submersed aquatic vegetation or cover such as stumps and fallen trees. They are sight feeders and tend to be ambush hunters. The increased submersed aquatic plants and other structure aids in their ambush hunting by allowing them places to hide and wait for food to come to them.
Warmouth can be a substantial part of the fish population in these systems, therefore a valuable sportfish to the community.
Warmouth can live in low oxygenated systems which can give them an advantage over other panfish or sunfish.
Since Florida has many lakes with submersed aquatic vegetation and stumps which can lead to increased warmouth numbers in the fishery, go get some ultralight tackle and have fun targeting this small sportfish which is also good to eat.
Diet: Warmouth when young feed on zooplankton and a variety of small aquatic insects. Then as adults they eat aquatic insects, small fish, crayfish, and mollusks.
Distribution: Warmouth can be found throughout the southeast from Florida to Texas even into New Mexico and north to Maryland then west to Michigan and Wisconsin.
More information: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/freshwater/warmouth/
Swallow-tailed Kite
Scientific name: Elanoides forficatus
Written by Florida LAKEWATCH Extension Manager, Liz Moreau
Look up to the skies to spot one of Florida’s most distinct summer visitors – the swallow-tailed kite is here for summer breeding season! These aerial acrobats are a pleasure to watch as they roll and dive, catching and eating their prey midair. Rarely seen perched, these birds of prey are easily distinguished when in flight by their deeply forked tail, which allows for their acrobatics.
Florida is the best place to find swallow-tailed kites within the contiguous United States, though migratory populations used to be more common throughout the southeast and Mississippi River basin. They rely on tall trees to build their nests, preferring Loblolly pines occasionally bald cypress, but are sometimes relegated to the invasive and unstable Australian pine (link https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/st129). Wetland destruction and hunting over the last century have led to population declines, though the current population appears to be stable.
- Funt fact: Monogamous breeding pairs often re-use and re-build their nest from the previous season!
- Diet: adults eat mostly flying insects; young are also fed small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards, and nestling birds.
- Threats: Habitat loss, climate change
- More information: FWC's Swallow-tailed kite profile, Audubon Guide
Reminders
Who you gonna call?
Make sure you are getting in touch with the right person for you! Regional Coordinators are the support for new and existing volunteers and are usually the first point of contact for the public to ask questions about Florida’s waterbodies. They train and coordinate with volunteers to collect water, help compile the data and disseminate the information back to the volunteers and the general public. There are currently two coordinators Dan Willis and Jason "MO" Bennett and they each serve a specific region of the state. The area and contact information for each Regional Coordinator can be found below. We look forward to assisting you!
Broken Bottles
The LAKEWATCH Lab has been receiving nutrient bottles that are in rough shape. These are the smaller bottles that you fill and freeze each time you sample. We reuse these bottles for as long as possible to save money for the program and keep as many lakes in the program as we can. Please follow the tips below to help us keep using these nutrient bottles:
- Please do not write on the bottles. Make sure to write on the labels only.
- Don't overfill them. The water expands as it freezes and will crack the bottles.
- Be careful when handling frozen bottles as they can crack easily.
Please complete your data sheet!
You work hard for your data so don't forget the little things. Data sheets without sampling and filtering times and dates must be entered with "qualifiers", which means they won't be as useful to DEP and researchers.
The LAKEWATCH newsletter is edited by Dr. Liz Moreau. You can reach out with questions, comments, or feedback at duermite@ufl.edu