Lake Okeechobee Conditions Report April 07, 2009:

According to the USACE web site, Lake Okeechobee stage is 12.04' NGVD, which is 0.14' lower than a week ago, 0.53'lower than a month ago, and 1.69' higher than it was a year ago.  The current stage is 2.14' below the historical average for this date and 0.89' below the simulated average using the current regulation schedule (LORS2008).  Total reported inflows are 268 cfs and are limited to flows through S65E. No inflow data are reported for S133 and Fisheating Creek.  Total outflows are 2219 cfs and include releases to the Caloosahatchee River (47 cfs), water-supply releases through the S351, S352 and S354 (1985 cfs) and flow (187 cfs) through the S308.  Lake levels continue to decline with an average monthly lake level recession rate of 0.50’ since the beginning of January.

The routine aerial wading bird survey of the lake’s littoral zone was conducted on Wednesday March 25, 2009 by Florida Atlantic University researchers as part of the RECOVER Monitoring and Assessment Plan.  The marsh has dried substantially and the Moore Haven and Indian Prairie littoral zone are dry except for the edges closest to the pelagic zone.  Most foraging birds are along these edges and near Cochran's Pass.  Nesting activity has increased since last month, although colonies that were observed in the Moore Haven area during the January and February surveys are no longer active because the area is dry.  Two new colonies were observed, one in Cochran's Pass and another colony with 200 nests about 2 km from Clewiston Spit (further into the lake along the channel). 

Great Egrets chicks are now hatching and the smaller herons are now laying eggs. White Ibis and Glossy Ibis are now building nests, mostly in cattails.  The colony in northern Indian Prairie has also increased in size with more nesting by Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons.  10 Roseate Spoonbills are nesting in the colony, with nest building activity confirmed on ground visits.  Eagle Bay also has nesting activity, although it is down from earlier surveys.

In total, 8 colonies were detected.  Only four, however, were in the traditional littoral zone.  The others were at the gator farm, one at Lakeport, and two were on Clewiston Spit.  Although this year's nesting is considerably higher than the previous two years, it is not likely to be close to the outstanding year of 2006, probably because so much of the marsh is already dry.

 

Yesterday District crews saw 30-40 egg masses of the native Florida apple snail in the canal between the Clewiston boat ramp and the Clewiston lock.  Eggs were also observed in the marsh south of the Clewiston channel.  The eggs were in an area dominated by spikerush but were mostly attached to sparse bulrush and cattail

 


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