Do you want to work on the lake this summer?!?! You can be a Watershed Inspection Steward/Environmental Educator through SUNY ESF and NYS Parks. Maybe we'll see you?

#cayugalake #invasivespecies #hydrilla #stopthespread #inspectyourboat #fingerlakes #newyork #cleanwater

These last few days in #Florida have been frigid for #fieldwork. 🥶 Unfortunately, #invasiveplants may slow down, but they don't stop growing.

#aquastemconsulting #environmentalconsulting #environmentalscience #hydrilla #aquaticplants #lakemanagement #invasivespecies

🌿 When #invasivespecies move in, they push natives out.

#Hydrilla may look lush underwater, but it quickly replaces #eelgrass- a foundation of healthy #fish & #wildlife #habitat.

One invader can change an entire ecosystem.

#aquastemconsulting #invasiveplants #environmentalconsulting

SePRO's Mark Heilman On Phosphorus, Waterways, And Invasive Species Every summer, the same devastating story repeats across America: lakes that families have cherished for generations suddenly turn toxic green. Half a million people in Toledo lose their drinking water when Lake Erie blooms with poison algae. Or, Florida's red tide costs the state billions in lost tourism. But some of the most damaged bodies of water in America are getting a cleanup. Meet Dr. Mark Heilman, Vice President of Environmental Restoration and Advocacy at SePRO, whose two decades of water restoration work have brought 1.4 million acres of polluted lakes and wetlands across North America back to life. Mark's team achieved a 42% reduction in harmful phosphorus levels and protected $300 million in annual tourism revenue at Moses Lake, Washington. When phosphorus from fertilizers and runoff enters our waters, it acts like Miracle-Gro for algae, creating massive blooms that choke aquatic life and produce toxins that cause liver damage, neurological problems, and even death. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assessments show the number of overly productive lakes with poor water quality is increasing. Harmful algal blooms are becoming more frequent and intense. Perhaps most striking is Heilman's noting that even benign-seeming weekend lawn care directly contributes to this crisis: a bushel of grass clippings that reach a waterway contains about a tenth of a pound of phosphorus, the same amount found in a box of Miracle-Grow fertilizer. When dumped into a waterway, those clippings can grow up to 50 pounds of algae. Heilman explains that treating a lake is like "performing surgery on an entire ecosystem," a process that involves a comprehensive assessment of water quality, community engagement, and multi-year management programs. The climate crisis is intensifying these challenges as warming water temperatures favor cyanobacteria growth, while invasive species like hydrilla—what Heilman calls "disturbance specialists"—exploit changing environmental conditions to establish footholds and outcompete native species. Yet he remains optimistic about prevention: "It's easier to prevent, takes less resources and investment to prevent them than to actually try to resolve them once these problems are in the environment." You can learn more about SePRO's restoration work at https://sepro.com. - Subscribe to Sustainability In Your Ear on https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/earth911-com-sustainability-in-your-ear/id1384301001?mt=2 - Follow Sustainability In Your Ear on https://www.spreaker.com/user/earth911, https://www.iheart.com/podcast/966-Earth911com-Sustain-29715785/, or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOEAu3yE_OGPAQR9o8o9XeA/

📣 New Podcast! "SePRO's Mark Heilman On Phosphorus, Waterways, And Invasive Species" on @Spreaker #clean_up #cyanobacteria #hydrilla #lake_maumelle #lawncare #moses_lake #phosphorus #sepro #water_pollution #water_restoration

Hire new MSc Rocco Boyd (stat & GIS whiz)! App data suggest invasive #Hydrilla isn’t v. good for #Florida #largemouth bass fishing. H doesn't attract more anglers or make larger bass - native veg is better. H mats do get fished for slightly larger bass, but not enough to justify limiting H control.

Interesting results from Rocco at Indiana @amfisheriessoc.bsky.social: weak evidence from app data that #invasive #hydrilla are good (or bad) for largemouth bass size, or that anglers are attracted to infested lakes. BUT the opposites are true for some native vegetation species.

Rocco Boyd - Venturelli Lab I joined Venturelli lab Fall 2023 as a MSc student. I am a recent graduate of Old Dominion University where I majored in Marine Biology and minored in conservation and sustainability leadership. During the summer of 2023, I interned at Lynnhaven River NOW where I did research on how we can improve the resilience of […]

Without further delay, meet new MSc student Rocco Boyd from Virginia and the @ODU Marine Biology program. Rocco is using data from @fishbrainapp and @MyFWC to explore the effects of invasive #Hydrilla on #largemouth #bass #fishing in #Florida https://people.bsu.edu/paventurelli/people/rocco-boyd/