Invasive/Exotic Species Project

April 28, 2007 was a Fieldwork day for the Invasive/Exotic Species Project on Eastern Lake in Walton County, FL. Several organizations cooperate with the Coastal Dune Lake Advisory Board supporting this project. See a video (choice of versions below).

Phillip Ellis, the Choctawhatchee Bay Alliance (CBA) Project Coordinator introduced it, saying, "Today local Oakaloosa Walton Collegiate (OWC) High School students are going to identify and locate the invasive/exotic species of plants in Eastern Lake. We'll turn the information over to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a control plan for the species. Hopefully, next spring we can begin to treat these things. This is the first step."

Scott Jackson - U of Florida - IFAS Ext. Service shows a book for plant identification. The main species to look for are Chinese Tallow Tree - "Popcorn Tree", Typha species - Cat-tails, Panicum repens -Torpedo grass, Phragmites australis - Common reed, Alternanthera philoxeroides - Alligator weed, and Hydrilla verticillata - Hydrilla. Illustrations and information come from this site: http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/

Dr. Elizabeth Ritter, Program Manager WIRED grant, OWC high school says each boat has a captain and three students. The spotter finds and identifies species. The GPS uses an instrument to pinpoint the location. The recorder writes data in a notebook.

Suzanne Wilson - U of Florida - IFAS Ext. Service brings maps generated by the county GIS, explains how to find GPS points, and initiates dividing the lake into sections. The starting location is N 30°18’33.2" W086°05’22.7".

Cooperating partners:

• Walton County Coastal Dune Lake Advisory Board
• Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance IFAS Extension Service
• Dept. of Environmental Protection
• OWC Collegiate High School
• Walton County 4-H
• South Walton Community Council
• Nokuse Plantation
• Eglin Air Force Base

Eastern Lake Neighborhood Association (ELNA) members volunteered too. A water plant, Widgeon Grass, is not on the list. Also, Duck Potato is a non-invasive native plant with a singular flower.

Video

Choose between these versions of the 11-minute movie.

• Small Flash (37 MB)
• Flash (64 MB)
• QuickTime (55 MB)
• iPod (QuickTime) (126 MB)