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with its own aging process, chemistry, different species
of biological and botanic life, and its own unique hydrology.
Everyone who relies on the lake – from fishermen
to homeowners to recreational visitors to naturalists
or just plain tourists – has his own set of expectations
that all these systems will function in sync and will
continue to enhance the human experience. From a lake
management point of view, that means that the body of
water must be capable of meeting the needs of such diverse
stakeholders as property owners, boaters, fishermen,
and jet skiers, while accommodating potable water demands
of municipal customers downstream.
The skill sets involved in the science
of managing our environment are constantly evolving.
Since it is almost always easier to accomplish a goal
in a laboratory’s controlled environment than
it is to duplicate it in the real world, environmental
managers soon learn to temper good intentions with hands-on
observation and experimentation. With a sound background
in both science and practice, the San Jacinto River
Authority and the Texas Park and Wildlife Department
(TWPD) have formulated a plan to sustain the delicate
balance between the lake’s natural systems and
human needs.
(The plan can be found by clicking here.)
Extending the lake’s successful aquatic plant
management progress to date, we will begin re-introducing
some hearty, native, aquatic plants late this summer
or early fall. These plants will likely include a number
of selected species from below:
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936.537.6336
Blue Heron Bay Corporation |
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to the lake, they stabilize
the lake bottom, they provide food and cover for the
fish, amphibians, and aquatic insects, and – because
they are natives – they produce much more manageable
growth in local environs than the “exotics”
and “invasives” that have created such problems
over the years. Native plants have characteristics that
function like natural “growth inhibitors”
and keep them from spreading the way that invasives
do. Natives generally require a stable environment that
is protected from wind and wave action. Also, natives
propagate much more slowly and typically only grow well
in very shallow water.
Of course, these same “slow
growth” characteristics that make natives beneficial
for a healthy lake ecosystem also make them much more
difficult and time-consuming to reintroduce, especially
into a system that contains hungry grass carp. Until
the carp population begins to decline, reintroduction
of natives will generally be done in small areas using
protective wire baskets. Also, species of natives that
are “carp resistant” will be reintroduced
first.
The San Jacinto River Authority and Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department intend that the native plants being
introduced will begin to slowly and gradually replace
a portion of the hundreds of acres of native plants
that have been damaged by grass carp in the effort to
control hydrilla.
Monitoring will be routine and
carefully conducted so that adjustments can be made
to maintain the balance between grass carp, hydrilla,
and native aquatic vegetation.
The important thing for all
our various lake stakeholders to understand is that
– like so many things in life – balancing
this ecosystem is an ongoing work in process. Fortunately,
it is a manageable process due to our current expertise
and understanding. Thanks for your patience in working
with us, and as the process unfolds, we’ll keep
you informed!
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