Interagency Lake O Spraying Meeting

[N. Cook]

I attended the regular schedule meeting (Capt. Chris also) today. The agencies are: USACE, SFWMD, FWC, DEP. All spray aquatic plants.

The current situation is that the lake lost 80% of vegetation in the storms...there had been slow recovery of natural vegetation...the water lettuce and hyacinth are problems and must be addressed to prevent their taking over the lake....that is the bulk of the spraying...some cattail monocultures are being reduced, especially in the north....a rim of cattails are now being left to reduce damage to the marshes by wave action.

No hydrilla is on the lake and there has been no spraying targeting hydrilla for some years.

The groups are concerned about the public concept of spraying and plan meetings in Feb. in Clewiston and Okeechobee to allow public input.

UW-F supports the total controll of water lettuce and hyacinth and the removal of cattail monocultures. We are working to have hydrilla considered as a neccessary evil in marshes where natural vegetation is not recovering....with a minimum of 30% submergent vegetation in a lake or marsh....natural if possible, hydrilla if not.

We have a program where anyone observing spraying and wants to report it can do so by contacting David Lithgow....be sure you have the facts...what is the target, what is the chemical, what agency is doing the spraying. WE will follow up.

[David B]

Newton,

You need to ride the north end of the lake and find the cattail monoculture.
There are areas that have a dense amount of cattails. Those areas stop the wave action and wind from removing the native veggies in behind it. If it gets removed you will have open water up to the rim canal and it won't hold squat for waterfowl. I beg to differ on this.

[N. Cook]

Somewhere I think I referred to the practice now being used of leaving a swath of cattails around the perimeter of the lake between the open water and the marsh....this evidently had not been done in the past and had bad impact on the marsh....the topic was discussed in the meeting with the intention to protect the marsh in the future.

Strips and bunches of cattails are advantageous to a natural marsh and shold be allowed to develop or left when spraying to improve an area totally consumed by cattails. I believe these folks agree to that.

Plus they make good blind areas!

[over/under]

Here is some of the weed killing S-of Buckhead

[over/under]

Brown area in top of pic

[N. Cook]

They had a map of that work and some other similar blocks of cattails that will be removed. It is expected the cattails to be first replaced by open water and then by a mix of vegetation....they will stay on any water lettuce,etc that threatens the area. The work is shown on the map in blocks with surrounding areas of cattails, especially on the lake side.

The water lettuce has become a real problem as it grows so fast and is mobile as it floats that it smothers any chance for submergents to get started....even hydrilla...And when you hit the water lettuce that impedes other plant growth.....a real catch 22.