Welcome new LAKEWATCH staff and students!
This summer we welcomed three new staff and two new M.S. students to the LAKEWATCH team! Read more about each of them below.
LAKEWATCH at the Society for Freshwater Science
Philadelphia 2024
In June, LAKEWATCH Director Gretchen Lescord and Extension Manager Liz Moreau attended the meeting for the Society of Freshwater Sciences, an international conference held this year in Philadelphia. We were impressed by the science, enjoyed the camaraderie and networking, and proudly spread the word about Florida LAKEWATCH and our wonderful volunteers!
We encountered an exciting poster that utilized LAKEWATCH data! Geetika Godavarthy, a student at the University of Pittsburgh, analyzed the seasonality of chlorophyl-a sampling in lakes around the country. She found that most states have seasonal bias, with more samples in the summer months. But Florida - thanks to LAKEWATCH volunteers - analyzes many samples year round! We also do more monitoring that most other states (40,000+ samples/year!).
Society for Freshwater Sciences co-produced a lovely video following ecologist and author, Judy Li, into the intricate world of the streambed and stream insect life:
Did you know that LAKEWATCH has some of the most dedicated volunteers?
Your commitment to our program is impressive and we want to learn more! We’re going to be sending a survey about your experiences with the LAKEWATCH program and your perspectives on our work. Your results will help us better understand our volunteer’s needs and recruit the next generation of LAKEWATCHers! They will also help us inform other citizen science programs that may struggle to recruit or maintain their volunteers as well.
For this edition’s Ask the Experts column, we’re highlighting the next generation of limnologists! More specifically, you’ll hear from four undergraduate students who took Dr. Lescord’s Introduction to Fisheries Science course in spring 2024. As part of the course, the students pick a recent question that you, our volunteers, have asked at a regional LAKEWATCH meeting. The students conduct a rigorous literature search on their chosen question, after learning modern tools for finding high quality resources. They end their semester by writing a literature report and giving their classmates a presentation on what they learned. These four students picked questions we get asked a lot. So, after the class was complete they were invited to summarize their findings for you!
How does saltwater intrusion from extreme weather events affect our waterbodies? Can it be reversed? (asked in Sarasota 2023 and others).
-By Erik Lorenzen.
Hello! My name is Erik Lorenzen, I‘m a junior majoring in natural resource conservation at the University of Florida. This topic is particularly interesting to me due to my close personal ties with our coastal waterbodies. I’ve spent countless hours canoeing and fishing our waters and have always wondered what factors influence them. While conducting this review, I found 6 quality studies focused on Floridian freshwater systems. For some elements of this review, such as the effectiveness of some prevention methods, I also reviewed studies from outside of Florida.
Some coastal waterbodies (like wetlands) naturally experience fluctuations in their salt content due to tidal activity, precipitation rates, and storm surges. The local aquatic life in these areas has adapted to this natural fluctuation over millennia. However, sea level rise, human manipulation of our coastal watersheds, and the increasing frequency and intensity of storms due to climate change are contributing to more saltwater intrusion in our coastal waterbodies. This can lessen ecosystem productivity, cause aquatic plant death, lower biodiversity, lessen carbon storage, and change other key ecological functions. Additionally, humans use a lot of our aquifer water in Florida, which puts our shared drinking water supply at risk of saltwater intrusion.
Fortunately, there are several measures we can take to protect our freshwater resources. Engineering more effective coastal infrastructure and being considerate of marine hydrological processes as we develop our coastlines is crucial. Additionally, studies conducted in Florida on the Biscayne Aquifer have shown that subsurface physical barriers are effective ways to mitigate saltwater intrusion into our aquifers. Implementing these measures can help to protect our drinking water and preserve our pristine coastal water systems. Unfortunately, once saltwater gets into a coastal pond or lake, there are no methods currently available to reverse it; over time, the salt levels should reduce again. So, mitigation is key!
What are the effects of golf courses on nearby waterbodies and what, if any, are some effective controls than can be employed? (asked in Charlotte in 2022).
-By Keenan McLaughlin
Like many Floridians, I grew up in an area where golfing was quite popular. So that is why I selected “What are the environmental impacts of golf courses on nearby water bodies and what, if any, are some potential solutions?” as the prompt for my final project. Florida is known for both its golfing and inland waterbodies, and I thought it would be important to know if they are negatively impacting each other. I combed through a lot of research surrounding the topic using UF’s research databases. I reviewed 18 papers from across the country, with a majority of them based in Florida. Overall, I found that most of the negative environmental impacts stemmed from fertilizer applications on golf courses. Two papers reported that increased fertilizer rates at golf courses led to higher amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in the stormwater runoff. This is concerning for our waterbodies because this runoff water can cause nearby waterbodies to have excess algae and a lack of oxygen, unless properly managed. These fertilizers may also adversely affect golf course grass when used in excess. Additionally, a well known golf course fertilizer called Monosodium methanearsenate (MSMA) is damaging to the golf course environment because it deposits arsenic after it gets applied. While there are many forms of the element arsenic, only some of them are dangerous to the environment and people. I found 3 papers showing that this arsenic can enter golf course ponds and sediments. Overall, this means that more work should be done on arsenic in Florida’s waterways, especially those that are near golf courses. A few papers mentioned that using different types of turfgrasses or soils can lower environmental damage by lessening the amount of fertilizer needed. I hope that more golf courses will adopt these alternative landscape techniques to help lower fertilization levels in the future!
How do we control aquatic midges? (asked in 2023, Pinellas County).
-By Christian Fernandez
My name is Christian Fernandez and I graduated last semester with a B.S. in Natural Resource Conservation from the School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences at the University of Florida. I picked this question because I have personally experienced the insanity induced by freshwater midge swarms during an internship with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (see photo). I found 19 peer-reviewed papers and 3 Extension documents for my review. Research shows that there are many avenues for aquatic midge control: habitat management, chemical treatments, and mechanical or biological controls. In my opinion, the most interesting methods are those related to midge habitat. Several studies found that midge larvae tend to be concentrated along the shallow areas of lakes and in sandier sediment. Moreover, it was found that larval midge populations tend to be higher in more eutrophic (i.e., high nutrient concentration) lakes. Together, these findings suggest that modifying shoreline sediment to be siltier and managing nutrient levels in a lake can lower larval midge numbers. This can be difficult on public lakes as they are typically managed for multiple uses. But, these habitat management techniques can offer a unique alternative of controlling aquatic midges to conventional means (i.e. chemical or mechanical control) on private lakes or stormwater ponds. A rather large knowledge gap I found in how to control aquatic midges in Florida’s lakes is how to utilize native wildlife for biological control. Bats, for example, have been shown to be effective controls for midges in other countries, but studies need to be done in our state. For those who are interested in learning more about this topic, I recommend a UF/IFAS Extension document available online called “Managing Pestiferous Freshwater Aquatic Midge Emergences from Storm Water Retention Ponds (ENY-856/IN825)” that synthesizes several avenues of midge control into a concise integrated pest management plan.
What impacts do non-native Muscovy Ducks have on Floridian waterbodies? (asked in Collier county in 2022).
By Gianna Sciorilli
My name is Gianna Sciorilli and I am a student at the University of Florida majoring in Marine Science. I chose this topic because although Muscovy ducks are seemingly everywhere in Florida, I didn’t know anything about them other than what they looked like. Finding research on these ducks was hard; I was only able to include 9 journal articles in my review and only two of these articles, both from the same researcher, pertaining to Florida. Not native to Florida, Muscovy ducks are descendants from domesticated ducks that were either intentionally released in the US as an ornamental species or also accidentally through farm escapes in the 1960s. So, most of the articles I found focused on Muscovy ducks raised for the poultry industry rather than feral populations we see in Florida. Nevertheless, I found three key concerns about these ducks. First, Muscovy ducks can easily contract avian diseases and show more symptoms from sickness than other birds, making them effective carriers of disease. Unfortunately, some of those avian diseases, such as the avian flu, can also be passed on to humans. Secondly, Muscovy ducks pose a threat to native Florida waterfowl populations because they can breed together, resulting in offspring that are sterile and may eventually decrease native populations. Lastly, waterfowl use a special kind of digestion (called hindgut fermenting) that makes feces with higher concentrations of methane, a greenhouse gas. From my research, I concluded that Muscovy ducks could have the potential to cause harm to Florida’s waterways, but there are a lot of knowledge gaps on feral populations unique to Florida. They are not currently classified as an invasive species by the FWC but are treated as nuisance wildlife, which means they may cause harm or pose a threat locally. It is possible the status of Muscovy ducks in Florida may change with future research.
Thank you to these students for their great summaries. And thank you to our volunteers for their important questions - they have given the next generation of aquatic scientists insight into the issues concerning Floridians about our beautiful waterbodies!
Beverly & Lonnie Ottzen
Deer Lake, Walton County
Written by Florida LAKEWATCH Extension Manager, Liz Moreau
Beverly and Lonnie Ottzen are an energetic couple that love spending time on their lake, Deer Lake in Walton County. They began sampling for LAKEWATCH, via Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA), in 2013 – something they’d been planning to do for over a decade, once they moved to Florida full time. When talking with Beverly about their interests and volunteerism, it's clear that sampling for LAKEWATCH was an inevitability:
“We're both lifelong boaters, so the opportunity to volunteer on the water was very appealing. We are also extremely interested in preserving all aspects of our natural environment. We live within easy walking distance of three coastal dune lakes, so participating in Florida LAKEWATCH to preserve and protect these precious lakes was a perfect fit for us.”
Dune lakes are fascinating features found in only a handful of places in the world – one of those places is a 26 mile stretch of coastline in the Florida Panhandle. These lakes are typically colored, shallow, irregularly-shaped, and situated within the dune ecosystem. They have intermittent connections with the Gulf of Mexico, so are a mix of fresh and saltwater. For more information on dune lakes see our pamphlet.
The Ottzens are a musical couple, both having retired from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – Lonnie a violinist and Beverly a pianist. But their creativity doesn’t end with music! Lonnie built their beautiful sampling boat, which they affectionately refer to as “the pram”, by hand! When they paddle Deer Lake on the pram they feel gratitude for the quiet nature surrounding them:
“Every day looking at the beach and the sky and feeling the sun and the breeze and just being out there is a really special thing.”
We agree! And we think the Ottzens are special as well, for their dedication to conservation and for their over 10 years of monthly sampling for LAKEWATCH! Thank you Beverly and Lonnie!
Grass Carp
Scientific name: Ctenopharyngodon idella
Written by Regional Coordinator, Dan Willis
Grass carp are part of the minnow family. Their body is oblong with large scales and the fish can be silver to gold in color. They have pharyngeal teeth located in the back of their throat to grind plant matter.
Grass carp are native to to parts of Asia. They were brought to the United States in the 1960’s for research to see if they could be used to remove aquatic vegetation from ponds and lakes. The research quickly showed that these fish would eat many of our submersed plants like they do in their native regions, especially one of Florida’s invasive exotic submersed plants called hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata).
The original fish that were transported into Florida for research (1970’s) were diploid meaning the fish could potentially reproduce. However, it was decided that the fish being released in Florida for aquatic plant management should be sterile. The eggs are subjected to pressure resulting in 3 sets of chromosomes making the fish sterile (triploid). As a result of this, since 1984 grass carp released in Florida are Triploid Grass Carp and are sterile.
Grass carp eat duckweed, elodea, hydrilla, pondweeds, southern naiad, and other aquatic vegetation. They may grow at rates of 2 pounds per month with suitable aquatic plants. They can reach weights of 30 pounds and grow to lengths around 3-4 feet. The young fish grow at faster rates than adults. Grass carp may live between 8-20 years.
To stock grass carp in Florida waterbodies for aquatic plant management a permit must be acquired from The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) (https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/habitat/invasive-plants/grass-carp/).
- Diet: They eat higher order aquatic plants with a preference for submersed aquatic plants.
- Native Distribution: Native to rivers in Russia and China that flow to the Pacific Ocean.
- More Information: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/freshwater/grass-carp/
Limpkin
Scientific name: Aramus guarana
Written by Florida LAKEWATCH Extension Manager, Liz Moreau
If you’ve spent any time around Florida freshwater bodies you’ve certainly heard the distinct “Krrr-eeeow" call of the limpkin - sometimes described as a banshee wail. But you may have missed the bird itself, which is somewhat nondescript and camouflaged in its typical marsh or shallow-water habitat. But looks aren’t everything – this bird has an interesting story!
Limpkins were nearly hunted to extinction in the early 20th century but more recently they have been making a comeback. The reason for this comeback may surprise you: the invasive island apple snail, Pomacea maculata, has become the main prey item for limpkins! Historically limpkins fed on native apple snails, with the occasional insect or mussel, but the native snails are being displaced by the invasives – an all too familiar story in Florida. Biologists were initially concerned that the larger invasive snail would prove too difficult for limpkins to break open – instead the birds take a longer time cracking open invasive snails, but for a much larger reward. And limpkin populations have responded positively to this otherwise detrimental invasive species.
Their range may be expanding north due to climate change, but historically the only place to find limpkins in the US was Florida, as their range runs south from here.
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