Eastern Lake Management Plan Meeting and Discussion

[Christian]

Thanks for your reply Christian. Although the lake is not as nice for swimming with all of the grass, there are tons of fish in that grass that my kids love to check out. Don't know how anyone could think the lake is dying. I have also noticed a symphony of frogs at dusk which I do not recall from before the storms. Before the storms does anyone remember seeing the lake loaded with those little jellyfish about the size of your thumbnail that light up at night when you stir the water? Going for a kayak ride at night with the jellies tops my list of awesome eastern lake experiences. I suppose it will be a while til we see those little guys again. Anyway, looking forward to the adventure of finally living at the lake and seeing the cycle first hand every day.

I hadn't thought about the frogs, but what a great observation! Frogs cannot tolerate saltwater, so they are likely thriving with the lake having turned more fresh for a time. It's another great example of how when one element of a natural system declines, another steps in to fill that niche. While humans might perceive a loss, nature sees it as an opportunity! And so the freshwater fish, plants, and frogs are thriving!

 

[Kurt]

Walking in the shallow water of the outfall at night, creating wakes of phosphorescence while there are countless stars above is a nice way to spend a summer night. ;-)

 

[heathernken]

Last night I saw what I believe was a an otter in the lake. It was at dusk. He was cruising around the perimeter, stopping every 30 feet or so to take a look at the shore. Very cool- never seen one in the wild. Any body else seen this guy or know if its and otter?

 

[Smiling JOe]

I saw a photo of an otter, on Oyster Lake (I think) in the Walton Sun a while back, claiming that it was a sea creature or the Lock Ness Monster. I guess they, too, had never seen a River Otter before.

 

[Caroling]

Last night I saw what I believe was a an otter in the lake. It was at dusk. He was cruising around the perimeter, stopping every 30 feet or so to take a look at the shore. Very cool- never seen one in the wild. Any body else seen this guy or know if its and otter?

Christian Wagley told me he saw an otter in Eastern Lake recently. Must be!

 

[Christian]

Yep, I saw a river otter crossing the lake early last Sunday morning! It was over just north of Heathernken's home when I last saw it. The otter looked quite happy, and the water looked very healthy as I saw some bass and many tiny fish.

Also saw a small gator there two nights ago while at Old Florida Fish House--probably about three feet long. When I went down to investigate he ducked underwater for a while, which made me happy. As long as he still fears humans he has a chance. If people feed him and he loses his fear he will eventually get too close to somebody or their pet and the call will go out to FL Fish and Wildlife and the trapper will come and kill him.

Somebody is regularly dumping fileted fish in the lake, which could attract the gator, add nutrients, and cause unhealthy bacteria levels and oxygen depletion in the lake. It's another sign of how delicate the balance is and how we can so easily disrupt the natural order when we crowd around the lake and use it as a dumping ground. If you see somebody dumping fish carcasses in the lake please educate them as to why this is bad for the lake. If that doesn't work, call the County Code Enforcement Department and report it as littering.

 

[Caroling]

If you see somebody dumping fish carcasses in the lake please educate them as to why this is bad for the lake. If that doesn't work, call the County Code Enforcement Department and report it as littering.

I've seen fish carcasses in the lake on three separate days. How to tell who did it? Talk about littering. At the NE arm of the lake, where the Cassine trail meets the Eastern Lake trail, two picnic tables were there for years. This spring they have both been overturned and dumped in the lake. We reported it to the forester. They claim that one table is broken beyond repair and they are retrieving the other one.

 

[Smiling JOe]

"We are forever 'conquering' nature, space, mountains, deserts, bacteria, and insects instead of learning to cooperate with them in a harmonious order...The hostile attitude of conquering nature ignores the basic interdependence of all things and events -- that the world beyond the skin is actually an extension of our own bodies -- and will end in destroying the very environment from which we emerge and upon which our whole life depends."

Alan Watts -- [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Book-Taboo-Against-Knowing-Who/dp/0679723005/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-6581963-3098063?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186281343&sr=8-2"]The Book: on the taboo against knowing who you are[/ame] (1966)

 

[Christian]

Here's a well-done piece from the latest Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance newsletter explaining the increase in submerged vegetation (widgeon grass) in Eastern Lake. Once again, the opinion of scientists who study the lakes is that the vigorous growth of grasses is a natural occurence due to drought and has no relationship with the lake outfall. In fact, those around the lake have already reported dramatic decreases in the widgeon grass once we started getting more regular rainfall in early June.

From The Alliance:

Summary of Eastern Lake?s
Aquatic Plant Management Issue
​

There has been a lot of talk about the status of Eastern
Lake lately?even cross-county press coverage!?and we feel it is
important for CBA to contribute a strictly scientific point of view
based on the extensive dataset that we?ve accumulated. Part of
the recent discussion has centered around the increased growth
of submerged plants in the lake?growth to the extent of
becoming a nuisance to some.
Knowing what we do about water clarity and aquatic
plants, it becomes probable that the factor that triggered aquatic
plant growth in Eastern Lake is the decrease in dissolved organic
compounds in the water (color). The decrease in color resulted
in greater water clarity, which enabled the sunlight to penetrate
to the bottom of the lake and triggered the growth of submersed
plants in the lake.
So now the question becomes: What has caused the
decrease in dissolved organic compounds in the lake? Most
dissolved organic compounds enter a water body with rainfall.
Rain washes organic compounds (humic acids from decaying
leaves, pine needles,etc.) into the water column. Without rain,
the humic acids usually don?t enter a water body.
This is a very testable hypothesis. We have two sampling
teams in place on Eastern Lake. Hopefully, we will see the rains
return to normal levels soon. Then we will be able to see what
happens to the color values on Eastern Lake and see if the water
clarity responds accordingly!
Of course, if this is happening on Eastern Lake, it begs the
question... Is water clarity increasing, color values decreasing,
and aquatic plants growing to nuisance levels on any of the
other coastal dune lakes? We are looking into that and will
report back to you soon!​

 

[heathernken]

LOST DOG!!!! PLease, if anyone sees a white bishon frise, about 15 lbs, please call 404/754-2480. He was last seen on south gulf drive running toward the beach around 9:30 this morning, Sunday August 26th. No collar- took the darn thing off to give him a bath. Shoot!