Made the trip out to Long Island this weekend, and it was evident that spring is finally here! It was a gusty, chilly day (of course the day before it was a beautiful, warm day) and the plants and flowers looked like they were growing. I couldn't spy any Hydrilla lurking just below the surface, but from Bill's side-scan we could see the weed beds are still there. Next month I plan on starting a plant survey, read more about it in May!
We conducted the standard monthly monitoring procedures. An electronic multi-probe was used to collect information at 1 meter intervals from the surface to the deepest point in the lake. We also collected water samples every 2 meters, these will be used for nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) analysis. Zooplankton and water samples from the surface were also collected.
The wind didn't give us too much trouble with the anchor, but it definitely made some waves! The waves provided a bit of a challenge when measuring Secchi depth and collecting zooplankton!
In other lake related news, I have submitted an article about the lake and my thesis for the Student Corner of LakeLine, a magazine affiliated with the North American Lake Managers Society. It will hopefully be published in the upcoming summer edition! I also am preparing a presentation for the New York State Federation of Lake Associations conference. I will be using Lake Ronkonkoma as an example for managing multiple biological issues/concerns and the importance of using multiple management techniques to obtain results.