Audubon's Everglades Policy Associate Jane Graham brings us this report from Lake Okeechobee:
This week Dr. Paul Gray and I had the pleasure of taking South Florida Water Management District Governing Board member James Moran and his wife Karen on an airboat tour of Lake Okeechobee. We departed from Okeetantie Boat Ramp on the northern edge of the lake.
It was a gorgeous day. We saw a variety of birds, including endangered Everglade Snail Kites, Great Blue Herons, various Egrets, a Belted Kingfisher, and a few majestic Bald Eagles soaring overhead.
Lake Okeechobee is recovering nicely from the nourishing rains from the fourth wettest October on record. The lake’s ecosystem suffered from low water levels during the 2011 dry season and it may take a few years for the lake to fully recover. The vegetation reflected the impacts of low water levels. In an area formerly covered in sub-aquatic plants, dog fennel, an upland plant, flourished. The good news is that areas of the marsh that were dry back in May are now a few feet deep and wetland plants will increase as upland plants die out. As we enter the dry season in December, it will become increasingly important to manage water through conservation efforts to support this treasured ecosystem.
Dr. Paul Gray showed us an interesting sight – a pile of exotic apple snail shells on top of a netted enclosure. Paul said that he observed Everglade Snail Kites perched over the enclosure dropping the empty shells once they finished eating the snails. The impacts of the exotic apple snail population on theLake Okeechobee ecosystem are uncertain.
After our tour, which lasted about an hour and a half, we lunched at Lightsey’s, a local business on the lake that has fresh fish.
We truly enjoyed sharing the day with James and Karen Moran in one of Florida’s most special places, Lake Okeechobee. We think Mr. Moran’s enthusiasm for the outdoors will prove to be a valuable asset on the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board and Audubon looks forward to working with him to protect South Florida’s water resources.
