Biologist Report August 31, 2020
Greetings, Lake Vilbig residents!
This letter is to discuss our August management efforts. I came out on August 12 to continue our management efforts for the year. Lake temperature was warm in the mid-80s, 86 to be exact. Alkalinity was 120, which is a great range; ph was 7.4. Visibility was 30 inches.
There is a good plankton bloom occurring in the lake, and I like it. Planktons are microscopic plants and algae that do a couple of things.
1. Plankton provides the basis of a food chain. Small animals and insects feed on the algae
2. Plankton helps shade the water making it more difficult for undesirable plants to grow.
Of course, this doesn’t help as much in shallow areas but helps keep undesirable plants from growing in water deeper than 4 feet.
Still no signs of bushy pondweed, which is excellent. However, the chara is abundant, especially in the Fishbowl and around the volleyball pit. I did spray a little on the first visit. But I don’t think it did much so. I went heavier on the second visit.
On August 26, my second visit, I came back to spray areas in the Fish Bowl and volleyball pit and the cut for Chara. Since we are in the late season, the plant has “hardened up.” This means it’s a little tougher to attack because it is done growing for the year. Meaning that it isn’t actively accepting nutrients from the environment. It is sitting there, not doing much.
I used Cutrine again, an algaecide that I have used in the past. To manage chara, I applied 2 gallons of cutrine in several shallow areas in Fishbowl, the volleyball pit, and the cut.
Other parameters were very similar to the first visit. Including pH, Temp was a degree higher at 85. Visibility was around 24 inches. So even less clarity than early August. The water level was right where it should be, and which is excellent.
I will continue to monitor for any vegetation growth.
Thanks, Vilbig Residents!
Chad Fikes
Fisheries biologist
