Study Site

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Study Site
Honeoye Lake Decades of Change
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Dr. Bruce Gilman

• Department of Environmental Conservation and
  Horticulture
• Finger Lakes Community College
• 4355 Lakeshore Drive
• Canandaigua New York 14424-8395
• gilmanba_at_flcc.edu

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The Origins of North American Limnology

• On the Finger Lakes
• It is probable that there is no group of lakes
  in the world which offer the limnologist such
  opportunities for working out the problems of his
  science (1914)

Edward Birge and Chancey Juday University of
Wisconsin
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Birge and Juday visited the Finger Lakes twice in
the early 1900s, and published their results in
1914 and again in 1921.
But Honeoye Lake was not visited either time!
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Lakes of New York State(1978) Volume 1 Ecology
of the Finger Lakes

• Chapter 4, Limnology of Eight Finger Lakes,
  Conclusions and Recommendations
• Relatively strong data bases have been
  established for Skaneateles, Owasco, Cayuga,
  Hemlock and Conesus Lakes. Others (Canadice,
  Honeoye, Otisco) have been the subject of
  preliminary studies only

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Synoptic water quality survey, 1996-2000 Sediment
core study, 1997-1998
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DEC Recommendations

• Control nutrient inputs, conduct research to
  better understand nutrient loading and role of
  dissolved oxygen depletion
• Better management of salt storage
• Monitor biota for chlorinated organic compounds
• Investigate levels of arsenic, nickel, lead
• Monitor zebra mussel population dynamics

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Research at Finger Lakes,1984 to present

• Watershed citizen surveys
• Macrophyte studies
• Lake water quality sampling and monitoring
• Fisheries assessment
• Tributary sampling and monitoring
• Watershed land use and land cover project
• Special projects

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Approaches to Honeoye Lake
FLCC main campus
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Finger Lakes Community College Muller Field
Station
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• Surface area 717 ha
• Maximum depth 9.2 m
• Mean depth 4.9 m
• Eutrophic status

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1986 Watershed Questionnaire

• Background Information
• 1641 mailed, 532 returned (32)
• Over two thirds were shoreline residents
• Half were year-round, half were seasonal
• Connected to municipal sewer (85)
• Lake water intakes for residential use (47)

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Lake Issues

• 81 weeds
• 67 algal blooms
• 45 boat speed
• 39 water borne bacteria
• 28 lake level
• 28 cottage density
• 25 poor fishing

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Residents Beliefs about the Nature of these
Lake Issues

• 39 fertilizer and pesticide use
• 38 individual citizen abuse
• 34 natural causes
• 28 population growth
• 26 weekend visitors
• 26 lack of enforcement
• 26 past pollution

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Major Conclusions

• Overwhelming support for a Lake Management
  Program
• Establish a Lake Association
• Explore weed control options
• Physical
• Chemical
• Mechanical
• Biological

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Mechanical Harvesting
400-600 wet tons/year
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Macrophyte Research Questions

• Before the Mechanical Harvesting Program
• How productive are the macrophyte communities?
• What influences their productivity?
• After the Mechanical Harvesting Program
• Are there any long-term changes in macrophyte
  community structure and function due to recent
  changes in lake ecology?

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Factors contributing tomacrophyte productivity

• Underwater light environment
• Length of growing season
• Nutrient availability
• Adequate rooting substrate
• Absence of inhibitory conditions

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Underwater Light Environment
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Length of Growing Season
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Nutrients Phosphorus
Honeoye
Canandaigua
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Nutrient CycleShared with the phytoplankton
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Nutrient CycleSignificance of Internal Loading
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Benthic Oxygen Depletion
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Substrate Information

• 33 piston core samples analyzed for
• (top section of core)
• Percent moisture (75.60 2.18)
• pH (7.15 0.13)
• Percent organic matter (9.78 0.52)
• Total phosphorus in mg/L (974.34 211.22)
• Available phosphorus in mg/L (2.73 0.83)

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Modeling the Nutrient Budget
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FLCC Macrophyte Research Sampling Methods
5 plots along each transect
20 transects extending from the lake shore
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Sample Sorting and Drying
Hi, its Bruce in 1984!
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Dry Weight Biomass
Fall standing crop biomass measured in grams/m2
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Common Aquatic Macrophytes
Elodea
Water Buttercup
Coontail
Eurasian Milfoil
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Common Aquatic Macrophytes
Largeleaf pondweed
Water Stargrass
Flatstem Pondweed
Eelgrass
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Common Aquatic Macrophytes
Arrow Arum
Water Marigold
RedHead Pondweed
Giant Bur-reed
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2004 Macrophyte Results

• Vegetation present in 82 of 100 plots, ranging in
  depth from 18 cm to 535 cm.
• 20 different macrophyte species detected
• Mean of 4.6 species per plot
• Standing crop biomass ranging from 1 g/m2 to 721
  g/m2

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Mean Standing Crop BiomassFall 2004
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Discussion

• Recent changes in lake ecology
• Nutrient reduction through perimeter sewer (1980)
• Mechanical harvesting of weedbeds (1987 to
  present)
• Introduction of zebra mussels (1997)
• Changes in land use/land cover patterns (ongoing)
• Discovery of milfoil herbivore (2003)
• Have the macrophytes responded to these changes?

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Comparisons among 1984, 1994 and 2004

• Fall standing crop biomass
• Shifts in species composition
• Changes in community structure
• Future predictions?

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Long-term Trends inStanding Crop Biomass
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Mean Biomass Changes within Transects
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Lake-wide Standing Crop Biomass
n100 samples per year
20 spp.
19 spp.
17 spp.
1984
1994
2004
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Shifts in Species Composition(based on frequency)
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Milfoil Herbivore
Images from Cornell Ponds Research Program
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FLCC Fisheries ResearchHistory of Honeoye Walleye

• Supplemental fry stockings since 1890s
• 8.7 million stocked annually since 1981
• Limited natural reproduction

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Objectives

• Find and describe walleye spawning locations
  utilizing radio-telemetry
• Identify seasonal movement patterns
• of adult walleye
• Document the presence of naturally produced
  walleye fry

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Materials and Methods

• Surgically implanted radio transmitters
• into 23 adult walleye
• Monitoring locations with telemetry gear
• Fry captured using a 0.5 m diameter (500
  micron mesh) plankton net with mechanical flow
  meter

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Surgical Implantation Technique
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Walleye Monitoring

• Telemetry unit (ATS Inc.)
• Seasonal tracking episodes
• Depth, temperature, and dissolved O2

John Foust with the receiver
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GIS mapping of point data documenting fish
locations
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GIS generated polygons of home range and spawning
range. These capture 95 of relevant seasonal
data points. Allows year-to-year comparisons of
fish behavior.
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FLCC Watershed ResearchTributary Studies
Chloride
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Watershed Land-Use andLand-Cover Mapping Project

• New York State Natural Heritage Classification
  System (Edinger 2002)
• Based on
• System Terrestrial
• Subsystem Forested Uplands
• Cover Type Oak-Hickory Forest

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Development of Shape Files

• Interpretation of orthographic and oblique
  photography
• Construct draft map of digitized polygons
• Extensive ground truthing
• Modification of polygon attribute files to
  capture truth image of the watershed
• Apply GIS tools to watershed analyses

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Watershed Analyses

• Construct individual sub-basin drainage maps from
  total watershed map
• Describe cover types for each sub-basin
• Relate stream pollutant loading to cover type
  profile and other features
• Prioritize sub-basin remedial action activities
• Monitor and evaluate stream recovery

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Road bank stabilization BMP
Stream flooding event
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Special Projects Zebra Mussels

• Hard bottom materials boulders, rocks, logs
• Submerged macrophyte stems
• Benthic organisms clams, nymphs, crayfish
• Artificial surfaces boat hulls, dock supports,
  trash

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Data Collection

• Hand picked from dredge wash frame
• Total count
• Total biomass
• Subsample of up to 100 individual mussel shells
  for length measurements with micrometer

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Acknowledgements

• Ontario County Water Resources Council
• Ontario County Planning Department
• Finger Lakes Community College Conservation
  Professors, Technicians and Students
• Honeoye Valley Association
• Honeoye Lake Watershed Taskforce

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Questions?