Conservation Modules. Stormwater Pond Volunteers

Transcription

1 Conservation Modules for Stormwater Pond Volunteers Ernie Franke Chairman of Wetlands Committee for The Shores of Long Bayou Condominiums FLMS, 10 June 2015 Session B1: Lake and Pond Volunteer Programs 10:35-10:50 AM

2 Stormwater Retention Pond Management Chemical-Free! Make It Natural! Use Volunteers! Use Chemicals to Control Weeds! Make It Like a Golf Course! Faster Control / Cheaper / Easier! I Can Supply Conservation Modules of My Experiences; Turtle Islands, Moorhens, Grass Carp, Brazilian Peppers, Freshwater Clams, and Muck Removal. HOA Manager When pressed with the demands of condo owners, the stormwater manager must decide between a chemical (environmental services)or a manual/biological (volunteers) approach. 2

3 The Shores of Long Bayou Condos Lake Seminole Pinellas County Long Bayou Two Lakes Nine Ponds Mangroves Hiking Trails Cross Bayou The Shores of Long Bayou Condo HOA is responsible for maintaining a nature reserve on its 77-acre campus. 3

4 Stormwater Pond Maintenance by Volunteers (Seven Ponds: Ranging in Size from 0.1 to 0.3 acres) The Wetlands Committee Voluntarily Looks after Most of the Stormwater Ponds, Mangroves and All of the Trails within the Yellow Line Spoonbill Pond Black-Bird Pond Osprey Pond Quail Pond Ibis Pond Lily Pad Pond Cormorant Pond The Wetlands Committee has seven ponds to try-out each of the step-by-step conservation modules. 4

5 Osprey Stormwater Retention Pond Before Tidy-Bowl Appearance, Perimeter Erosion Overgrown with Torpedo Grass and Bulrush After SWFMD would like to see greater than 35% of the pond covered with aquatic plants. 5

6 Osprey Stormwater Retention Pond Canna Alligator Flag Odorata Water Lilies Canna Southern Blue Iris Pickerelweed Spatterdock Mexicana Water Lilies Duck Potato Osprey pond uses Florida-native plants to remove nutrients from stormwater run-off. 6

7 Quail Stormwater Retention Pond Pond adoption, which requires working in shallow water, experiences a slightly lower volunteer rate than trail work. 7

8 Black-Bird Bird Stormwater Retention Pond Before After Pond adoption in Florida requires no fear of alligators. 8

9 Ibis Stormwater Retention Pond Before After Ibis Pond won Tampa Bay Estuary Program s (TBEP) Golden Mangrove award in

10 Restoration of a Retention Pond Requires Many Key Components TBEP FLMS Community Improved Habitat for Wildlife FNPS Financial Help Improved Water Quality Restoration of Osprey Pond Community Involvement IBIS POND RESTORATION Improved Appearance Experience for Mentoring Source of Florida-Native Plants Community Education Publications to Help Others Restoration of Other Retention Ponds i.e. Conservation Modules Restoration starts with I want our pond to look like so-and-so pond, and ends with Why can t we restore our pond? 10

11 Conservation Modules Based on Real Needs Build-Up of Sedimentation in Stormwater Ponds Folks Want to See Nature in an Urban Environment Invasive Peppers Taking Over Nature Reserve Invasive Hydrilla Completely Took-Over Three Stormwater Ponds Retention Ponds Removing Nutrients from Stormwater Manual Removal of Sediment with the Help of Water Lilies Using Grass Carp to Control Hydrilla Brazilian Pepper Tree Removal Construction of Moorhen-Breeding Islands Construction of Turtle-Basking Islands Adding Fingernail Clams to Stormwater Pond Each conservation module was documentation of a problem solved, based on real-world experiences that could be passed along. 11

12 What Is a Conservation Module? Tools for the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Pond Owner Each Module PowerPoint / PDF Format Structured for the Urban Environment Developed from Solutions to Problems Pointing Out the Pitfalls Field Tested on Stormwater Retention Ponds Dated and Contains a Revision Number Each Page Is Numbered Written by Real People, Answering Real Questions Vetted thru State and County Organizations Posted on Websites Forms a Toolkit of Conservation Modules The success of a chemical-free approach to stormwater pond maintenance is a knowledgeable leader and a group of dedicated volunteers. 12

13 Developing Conservation Modules Expressed Need at Seminars & Conferences and Lakes & Ponds Day Research: Internet Search Engine Experience: Problem Solutions Generation of Conservation Modules When you see the need, learn of the solution, and try it out, you want to tell others. 13

14 TBEP Mini-Grant Goals Encourage Conservation Modules Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) Mini-Grant Encourages Volunteerism and Networking Funded the Generation of Conservation Modules Conservation Modules Are Specific Presentations at Conferences Are General (20 Slides) Less Detail Specific Presentation to a Specific Problem (40 Slides) More Guidance Contained in a Conservation Module Increase Community Awareness and Involvement Develop Teams and Individuals to Attack Problems Awareness: Education/ Identification of Invasive Species Develop Work Teams Attack Muscatine Grapes, Brazilian Peppers, Australian Pines Paper / Plastic Removal Along Trail and Shoreline Spread Free Mulch on Walking Trail Improve and Maintain Stormwater Ponds The Tampa Bay Estuary Program supports conservation projects by awarding mini-grants up to $5,

15 Examples of DIY Conservation Modules TBEP Awarded Mini-Grant (January 2014) Develop Four, Step-by-Step, Conservation Modules Presentations Available thru City/County/Environ Websites Method for Manually Removing Muck Using Water Lilies Developing the Technique in Three Stormwater Ponds Moorhen Breeding Islands in an Urban Environment Constructed Three Moorhen Breeding Islands Hatched Twenty Broods of Moorhen Design and Construction of Turtle Basking Islands Evolved Thru Five Different Models of Turtle Islands Constructed and Installed Six Copies of Latest Model Use Grass Carp to Control Hydrilla Obtained Permits for Three Stormwater Ponds Successfully Defeated Hydrilla Volunteer Group Developed Two Additional Modules Gratis Brazilian Pepper Tree Removal Freshwater Clams to Stormwater Ponds for Micro-Filtering In the rich tradition of info-mercials, If you act now, we will throw in another module, possibly two, free. 15

16 Example: Conservation Module on Controlling Hydrilla Identify Hydrilla Distinguish Between Hydrilla, Elodea or Egeria Doesn t Really Matter, Grass Carp Like to Eat All Keep Pond Owners from Becoming Discouraged Gain a Sense of Timing Processing Time and Procedure for Permitting Process of Amending Grass Carp Permit Method and Time to Acquire Fish When Hydrilla Doesn t Disappear in One or Two Months May Take 6 Months to 2 Years, Depending on Level Hydrilla Can Grow Faster Than Carp Can Eat Reassurance When You Don t See Carp for 6 Months Don t Know If Eaten by Herons, Egrets or Alligators Carp Don t Come Near Sides Until Food Supply Is Gone Control Best Handled in Conjunction with Other Methods Hydrilla Grows Very Rapidly Possibly Growing Faster than the Carp Can Eat Manual & Chemical Control Can Help to Get You in Front of the Power Curve This conservation module calms the pond-owners fears by describing the process and giving an approximate time-line. 16

17 Example: Conservation Module on Controlling Hydrilla (cont.) Need to Consider the End Result What Will Happen When the Vegetation Is Totally Gone? Need Four Years of Control After Disappearance Hydrilla Nodules (Tubers) Remain Active for Four Years Review Sources of Grass Carp State Provides a List of Approved Vendors Need an Interpretation of the List Emphasis on Multi-Prong Approach: Manual, Chemical and Grass Carp Keep Manually Attacking It During Multi-Prong Approach One Day, You ll Notice the Hydrilla Gone; the Fish Won Use of Grass Carp for Controlling Hydrilla What Other Choice Is There? This conservation module emphasizes the need of combining manual, chemical and biological control for hydrilla removal

18 Candidate Central FL Websites for Hosting Modules Pinellas County Adopt-A-Pond Program Hillsborough County Adopt-A-Pond Program Hillsborough County has 274 Ponds That Are adopted 83 Actively Monitored and Managed Adopt-A-Pond Manatee County Manatee County Florida Lakewatch Florida Has over 7,700 Lakes Larger than 10 acres Probably More than 100,000 Smaller Bodies of Water Tampabay Estuary Program (TBEP) Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) When the conservation modules are ready, we will vet them thru the various organizations and solicit inclusion on their web-sites. 18

19 Indexing Conservation Modules on SLB Website Nature Reserve Philosophy and Policies Communication Volunteers Nature Trail Stormwater Ponds Wildlife Grants Wetland Committee Reports Activities Restoration Restoration Identification Requests Newspaper Articles Logs Pepper Control Maintenance Muck Removal Hydrilla Control Waterfowl Reptiles Reports Magazine Articles Conferences History Clams for µfiltering Maintenance History Habitat Restoration Turtle Islands Moorhen Islands Maintenance Posting conservation modules (yellow), wetlands reports and volunteer activities keeps residents informed of the background and future plans.19

20 Thank You We Thank Misty Cladas for Her Keen Interest and the Financial Help of Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) for the The End.... without whose help, we never would have started or finished. 20

21 Any Questions? 21

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