Biologist Report June 30, 2022
Greetings, Lake Vilbig Residents!
This letter is to talk about our June 2022 management efforts. I came out on May 23rd. June was brutal. Several days at or above 100 F. The rest of the time, afternoon temps were well in the 90s. Very little to no rain also compounds the brutality this summer.
On the 23rd. The weather was hot. I got there a little before noon, and it was already 97F. Water temperatures are still on the rise now. Maybe a little quicker than I would have anticipated, but there isn’t much anyone can do about it. Average of 84 F. Some spots were a little cooler, and some were a little warmer. This is normal.
We are inching ever closer to bathtub-like water temperatures. The water level was also down considerably. I would say it is roughly a foot low. The fact we have not received any significant rain in the past two months isn’t helping. It is still fairly windy, but maybe not as insanely windy as it has been.
Visibility was around 30 inches. Water is still green with lots of plankton growing. This is helping shade out the more profound areas helping maintain our vegetation load. The water was green bloom, a lovely summer bloom going. I like this color, especially for newly hatched fish and all shad species. pH was still high. 8.3. Alkalinity was stable at 130 ppm. Again there were a lot of birds in mid-June. Several cormorants, seagulls, and Canada Geese. Plus a few domesticated geese.
They seem to have taken over the island near the volleyball area and are raising several nests there. Not sure they are going anywhere. But at least there were fewer than observed in the wintertime.
We have a small amount of bushy pondweed and chara growing in a few areas around the lake—specifically the fish bowl, maybe a little in the canal. But I’m not finding anything on the volleyball pit. This is a good thing. The vegetation is helpful and productive instead of a nuisance.
I will continue to monitor it and keep it in check.
Other than that, everything looks perfect. Let’s get ready for more hot temperatures, and summer is definitely upon us.
Thanks, Vilbig Residents!
Chad Fikes Fisheries Biologist
