Biologist Report - Environmental Committee

Greetings, Lake Vilbig Residents!

Biologist Report 05/04/23

This letter is to talk about our April 2023 management efforts.

I came out once on April the 29 th. Strike that. Because of the weather, it pushed things back a week. April's visit occurred on May 2 nd. Not much changes in a week, so we are okay. We need the rain. It’s what keeps our lakes full. So I will never complain about it, and if it pushes work back a week, so be it.

On the 2nd. The water temp was 70 F. We are increasing our water temps ever so slightly from month to month. This is perfectly normal. Alkalinity was 140, and pH was 8.2. pH is still running high. While we are in an acceptable range for pH, aquatic environments and organisms are very adaptable, and we are running some essential water. The thing with pH is it is difficult to do anything about it. Especially in a lake the size of Vilbig, we must always be conscious of it—still a lot of birds, Canada Geese and Coots, but also several gulls. Usually, we have migratory gulls, and they leave in the springtime. For some reason, these are sticking around, at least for now. Also, domesticated and wild ducks (mallards). The water looked great, visibility of 30 inches, and had a great green tint. Fertility is very important for several reasons. It is excellent for the fish. They need fertile water to grow properly, and it is also great to help shade out any aquatic vegetation growth.

Other than that, everything looks great as we continue through spring. I saw a report on the news the other morning that we are only 14 days or so from meteorological summer. So, we have been blessed with average temperatures so far this year. Let’s hope that trend continues. Thanks, Vilbig Residents! Chad Fikes Fisheries Biologist